The government is hopeful that the lifting of the four-month-old curfew will send positive messages of Egypt's recovery, writes Jailan Halawi "What difference will it make? The curfew was not strictly followed from the beginning," said 38-year-old Hania Samir who works as a secretary in a multinational company when asked on the possible changes lifting the curfew that has been in place over the past four months will bring to her life. Similar opinions were voiced by many of the people interviewed by Al-Ahram Weekly, who said that while the curfew was not much of a nuisance, "the real challenge remains the noticeable rise in thuggery since the revolution." Yesterday, the curfew imposed since 28 January in three major cities in Egypt including Cairo was fully lifted on government orders, with the decision being taken "to encourage a return to normal," officials said. Minister of Tourism Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour had earlier pleaded with Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and the ruling Higher Council of the Armed Forces (HCAF) to lift the curfew in order to encourage the flow of tourists into the country. Abdel-Nour said that while Egyptians knew that the curfew did not impose much of a restriction on personal freedoms, "those who live abroad did not." While the policy of the Ministry of Tourism is to attract tourists of various nationalities, present circumstances make the Arab market the most likely target. However, Arabs are known for being night birds who enjoy activities during the evening or at night. The curfew had harmed the business of scores of nightclubs, pubs, restaurants, cinemas and hotels that used to do their best business during the summer each year. At the peak of the events that led up to the ousting of former president Hosni Mubarak in February, the curfew was imposed for nearly 12 hours a night from 6pm onwards. However, later it was enforced in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez for three hours each night from 2am to 5am. However, it was sometimes not taken very seriously, and nor was violating it dealt with harshly by the Armed Forces, who only cracked down on those they suspected of being trouble makers. Whether or not the curfew was felt or made a difference, the main concern of many people now is how the lifting of the curfew will affect the security situation in the country. Will it mean a reduced army and/or police presence? According to Armed Forces officials, the army remains committed to safeguarding the security and stability of the nation, and the security apparatus is equally determined to maintain order and security. Every day, officials announce the outcome of intensified raids on drug dealers, escaped prisoners, smugglers and thugs, attempting to reassure the public that the security forces are back and are enforcing order on the streets. However, some people interviewed by the Weekly remained sceptical about how secure the country will be, not because of the lifting of the curfew but rather as a result of their not believing that the police are in fact fully back. "The country is not safe at all," said 63-year- old Safiya Mustafa, who escorts her seven-year- old grandson to school each day and stays at her brother's house in New Cairo to be close to his school. "Thugs could attack the school and kidnap children known to be rich in search of ransoms," she said. For engineer Nabil Fahmi, fear exists more in people's minds than in fact, "yet no one should take any chances." Fahmi had booked four nights at a five-star resort on the North Coast but his wife, warned by colleagues that the highway was not safe, insisted on cancelling the trip. "I don't mind not going. There is no point in going on a trip when your family is in such a panicked state," Fahmi said. While Fahmi insisted on the need to be careful, others said that they had not experienced any problems moving around. "The only time we felt the curfew was right was after the Friday of Anger with the sudden disappearance of the police and the spread of thugs all over the country," said 42-year-old accountant Mohamed Essam. According to Essam, the main scare was during February through March, yet by the end of April, "things had started getting better," he said. The curfew had not prevented Essam from taking his family on many trips to the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh and the North Coast. "Sharm El-Sheikh was relatively empty with minimal security presence, but my family and I felt ok wandering around," he said. The North Coast, Essam said, "was even emptier. We felt as if the whole coast was ours. Some of the guards in the resort we were staying in reported a couple of robberies in nearby tourist villages, but they assured us that they had full control of the resort." Most tourist villages on the North Coast are guarded mainly by members of Bedouin tribes from neighbouring Libya, and these tribes are well acquainted with the best ways of ensuring security. "Maintaining security cannot be achieved by curfews. It is the responsibility of the whole nation, police and citizens, and it is about time we took our duties seriously. I welcome the end of the curfew, particularly as my wife and I enjoy going to midnight movies," Essam said.
