The flurry of Arab diplomatic activity overwhelmed the pundits, write Gamal Nkrumah and Mohamed El-Sayed Alexandria turned into a beacon of hope, and a beehive of activity. One Arab leader after another dropped in to call on President Hosni Mubarak. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia met with Mubarak in the fabled Ras Al-Tin Palace. Sultan Qabous of Oman met Mubarak in Alexandria, too. Qabous stayed at the Qasr Al-Montazah, another fabulous gem of royal Alexandria. Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq -- not necessarily in that order -- were uppermost on the agenda. Even so, the Editor-in-Chief of Al-Ahram Osama Saraya focussed his attention on domestic concerns. "Prioritisation" was the provocative title of his column. How to beat galloping inflation? He stressed that the key is to have sound financial policies that focus on the containment of inflation. He foresaw a special working relationship between the government, the financial sector and the banking system. In the meantime, the holy fasting month of Ramadan is upon us and so is the new academic year. The fact that this year the two momentous events coincide is causing a particularly severe bout of confusion. Writing in the weekly independent Sawt Al-Umma, editor- in-chief Abdel-Halim Qandil harshly criticised the government's decision to start the new school year in the last 10 days of Ramadan. "It is a stupid, provocative decision that ignores people's feelings," Qandil argued. "At this time people get ready to travel to the countryside to start enjoying the holiday of the Eid Al-Fitr. Therefore, the decision is meaningless, for the classes will be vacant," he added. The writer predicted that students would refuse to go to school on an empty stomach. Indeed, what an inconspicuous start to the new school term. Leaving aside mundane matters, questions of political intrigue and the economic and political future of Egypt came into play in the press in a most nostalgic fashion. In an interview with Sawt Al-Umma, leftist icon Abdel-Ghaffar Shokr argued that the Egyptians ought to return to the principles that once governed and guided their political life. "The military is able to counter the bequeathing of power, and the president cannot ignore it." He added that, "the escalating violence in the Egyptian society is a product of a situation in which there is an ultra-rich minority and an overwhelming majority deprived of the basics of life." He argued that, "Egypt's crisis could be summed up in an authoritarian regime, inept opposition, and a civil society always accused of being financed by foreign [agencies], and protest movements that lack in sound political vision." Meanwhile, the paper quoted another leftist figure, El-Badri Farghali, as warning against the conspicuous consumption of the filthy rich. "Mubarak's regime has turned Egypt into a country producing both poverty and billionaires." This combustible combination will inevitably lead to disastrous consequences, the writer forecast. The paper also quoted Hisham El-Bastawisi, deputy head of the Court of Cassation, the highest Egyptian court, as saying: "The last 20 years were the worst for the Egyptian judiciary, for its independence was minimised to an unacceptable limit." In much the same vein, Gamal Mubarak's industriousness continued to hit the headlines. A visit paid by head of the ruling National Democratic Party's influential Policies Committee to Egypt's poorest village in Beni Sweif dominated columns. Al-Ahram stressed that the visit was part and parcel of a wider plan aimed at poverty eradication. While the official press was enthusiastic, the independent press was somewhat cynical. Writing in the daily popular Al-Masry Al-Yom, Suleiman Gouda argued that, "certainly, the visit paid by head of the Policies Committee to the impoverished village of Ninna is a good initiative whose benefits cannot be denied. But the real problem is that there are other 999 poor villages that are also suffering inconsolably. So the difficult question is how will the party deal with this huge number of poor villages?" A pertinent question indeed. But back to the foreign concerns with a regional tinge, memories of times bygone continue to inflame passions. The daily opposition Al-Ahrar reported that a diplomatic crisis between Egypt and Israel might arise because of comments by the former Egyptian ambassador to Israel's last week at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. "Signs of a diplomatic crisis between Egypt and Israel are in the offing," ran the headline of the paper. Apparently, a couple of weeks ago the former ambassador Mohamed Bassiouni said in a lecture that he was "implanted as an intelligence agent", not merely an ambassador. The paper quoted a spokesman of the Israeli Foreign Ministry as describing Bassiouni's comments as "upsetting". On a very different note, the question of the state of the economy preoccupied the pundits. "The government will build steel and cement plants", ran the headline of the daily business-oriented Al-Alam Al-Yom. The decision, coming after the cement and steel prices in Egypt hit unprecedented highs, raised eyebrows as the government adopted a free market economy many years ago. The paper hinted at corruption in high places. Government officials obviously utilise their positions to enrich themselves. "Public sector companies obtained licences to invest LE1.6 billion in these two industries", ran a headline of a feature in the newspaper. "Experts wonder how the government promises to abide by the rules of free market mechanisms at a time when it gives licences to state-owned companies to produce steel and cement," the article reflected the opinion of many an economic expert. In much the same vein, Olfat El-Salami reflected on the corruption in government offices in Al-Alam Al-Yom. "People from all walks of life and different social classes ought to garner sufficient courage to seek a relevant recommendation from their connections before they go to a government department in order to guarantee that they will be properly treated by civil servants and have their tasks accomplished. Other people [who do not have connections] just give a tip to civil servants to [be well treated]. Anybody who does not go for any of the two options, has only himself to blame," she argued tongue-in-cheek. The controversial subject of the sexual harassment of women was treated in some detail. Ironically, the topic has become widely circulated in foreign papers but has yet to be tackled in an in-depth manner in the country. The independent daily Al-Dostour ran a quote from The Washington Post about sexual harassment in Egypt. "Female tourists consider Egypt one of the worst countries in which they are subject to sexual harassment", ran a headline on the front page. The coverage of sporting events in the press was dominated by the Olympics Games in Beijing. Hardly anyone was interested in the boring and unconvincing games of the African Champions League. Egypt's two leading rival football clubs --Ahli and Zamalek -- came up with desultory performances. The Ahli beat Dynamos Harare 1-0 with a last gasp goal by Mohamed Abu Treika and Zamalek's goalless draw with Asec Mimosas of Ivory Coast was pronounced a disgrace by several sports commentators. Egypt's disappointment with its athletes' performances in Beijing preoccupied the pundits. The Egyptian team's failure to score gold medals at the Olympic Games dominated headlines. "Karam Gaber [who won a gold medal in Athens Olympic Games in 2004] did not live up to his Egyptian fans' expectations," ran a headline in Al-Ahrar. Egyptians pinned high hopes on Gaber who was widely expected to win a gold medal in this year's Olympic Games. Egypt has garnered only a bronze medal so far by judo player Hisham Misbah.
