Behind the problems are those responsible. Jailan Halawi sees who they might be No matter how much effort the banners of some newspapers exert in defence of the regime, Egypt's intellectuals and renowned writers remain defiant as they try to expose what is being described as the ugly face of a system that has failed to provide its citizens with the basics of a fair and dignified life. From last week's train tragedy that spawned huge public outrage, to the collapse of three buildings this month alone, to the ambiguous fate of two Egyptian freights -- Edco, stranded in the waters of the United States, and Edco Star in Spain -- to reports about whether Cleopatra I ferry was sinking or had only a minor technical problem, to the unexpectedly limited Cabinet reshuffle, the press continued its harsh criticism of the government's performance, blaming it on "severe negligence" and being "indifferent" to the well-being of its people. Unlike its counterparts, the Tuesday edition of the daily Al-Ahram seemed satisfied with the Cabinet reshuffle. It dedicated its front page to comforting Egyptians about the fate of their loved ones whether those aboard Edco or Cleopatra I. The daily also seemed hopeful that shortly, the railway system will start to be revamped. However, in the opinion piece "The problem of the third degree citizen", political analyst and renowned writer Fahmi Howeidi noted, "the problem [in the crises facing the country] lies not in third degree trains... but in third rate citizens and hence the solution is not by firing the [railway system's] manager nor by removing the minister [of transport], but rather by reconsidering the priorities of national work whereby the well-being of society -- specifically the poor -- tops the agenda." Citing as an example last week's train tragedy, which claimed the lives of 58 and injured 151 others, Howeidi said that despite knowing the dilapidated condition of the train system, no measures were taken to prevent the calamity "which makes the incident closer to being a premeditated act rather than a surprise." The writer said the first step towards real reform should be for the rail officials to claim responsibility for the "grave negligence that has become the title of the rail system instead of putting the blame on poor employees." From the mouthpiece of the liberal Wafd Party wrote Gamal Badawi a column in its Friday edition, "Where is Egypt's money?" criticising the repeated promises of the government that follow any crisis -- be it a sunken ferry, a train collision or a fallen building -- that are never kept. Badawi asked where Egypt's money goes and why, despite repeated official statements concerning the huge sums being spent on the country's infrastructure, none of the money was dedicated to the railway system. "Is it because the trains are used by poor people while the elite use their own jets, yachts and luxury cars... that the state leaves the [railway] system to rot under an ancient system in force since its initial establishment by Khedive Abbas I?" Badawi noted that his question of where does the money go will never find an honest answer "among many other incessant questions that Egyptians ask but are never given a reply." The collapse of two buildings in Cairo and Qalyoubia which left eight dead and a dozen injured was on most of the daily newspapers. In Nahdet Masr, the calamity was highlighted by a huge picture of the rescue workers amidst the rubble, the headline reading: "those who did not die in the train [crash] died in their dwellings". Criticism became harsher in Sawt Al-Umma in an article by Wael El-Ebrashi. "The government said it is unwilling to engage in war on behalf of the Arab countries despite the massacres carried out by the occupation forces in Lebanon and Palestine. We agree but on one condition -- that it drops its motto 'staying in power until the last Egyptian citizen'." El-Ebrashi wrote that in order to stay in office despite failing to attend to the people's needs, the regime tends to throw blame on employees instead of taking responsibility for its mistakes. He said that had the state utilised the money it spends on itself and its ministers on maintaining the railways or on health and education, "the state would have saved its people from the collective death that threatens them on land and sea." The Nasserist Party's mouthpiece Al-Arabi was highly critical of the government's performance and warned of a possible clampdown on the press in an attempt to rein in its freedom and prevent it from publishing material that exposes the regime. Mostly critical was novelist Alaa El-Aswani who wrote on the back page that while the Supreme Press Council blamed the press for excessive criticism of the president, the council should have been more sensitive to the growing economic and political frustrations of many Egyptians. For long, the state, El-Aswani suggested, has been unable to fulfil promises of political and economic reform. Instead, corruption has been on the rise as has poverty. "Millions are forced to flee the country in search of an income to support their hungry families, and suicide out of despair has become for the first time in Egypt a social phenomenon," El-Aswani wrote, arguing that Egyptians deserve to freely make the choices that would best serve their interests and secure them a fair and dignified living standard.
