The African connection, religion and politics, industrialisation and economic concerns. Gamal Nkrumah and Mohamed El-Sayed survey the news and views The fallout from last week's African summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh preoccupied the more discerning pundits. Writing in his front-page column, Editor-in-Chief of the official daily Al-Ahram Osama Saraya wisely highlighted Egypt's African credentials. "Egypt, whether Arab or Muslim, will remain, because of geographical considerations, an African country first and foremost and a gateway to the dark continent," stressed Saraya. He noted that the Sharm El-Sheikh African Union summit was the largest and most important of the AU summits in recent years. Africa was at a crossroads and the raging conflicts that ravage the continent restrict it from exploiting to the full its vast mineral and agricultural potential. The paper also highlighted the visit by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to Egypt and the excellent bilateral relations and booming economic and trade ties between the two neighbouring Arab-African countries. Indeed, topping the agenda was the dramatic increase of Libyan investments in Egypt which now amount to $10 billion. However, the prickly question of Egyptian workers in Libya was also tackled head-on. The independent and opposition press had a similar take on the AU summit. Writing in the daily opposition Al-Wafd, Abbas El-Tarabili hailed the outcome. "It's good that Egypt is trying to restore its pioneering role in Africa, and that Cairo is trying to address African problems," he argued. "These [African] issues are not less important than the Palestinian issue for which we can not see a [foreseeable] solution. It's really of critical importance that Egypt plays an active role in Africa's [problematic] issues, as a means of securing a better present and future in Egypt." In much the same vein, some pundits adopted an idealistic, albeit nostalgic, perspective concerning the Sharm El-Sheikh summit. Writing in the daily liberal Nahdet Masr, Mohamed Qadri Said argued, "Since the 1950s Egypt has considered itself an African state. However, its heart and mind is preoccupied with the east and the west [of the Arab world] while the south [African extension] has occupied a minor place in Egypt's thought." Said hoped that the convening of the AU summit in Egypt "would mark the beginning of a revision of Egypt's geo-strategic priorities". Indeed, there are many commentators who regard Africa as the future. Egypt, they believe, needs to cement economic and political ties with African states in order to advance economically. African economic integration is regarded as a panacea for the country's ills. The continent's vast resources can be tapped with Egyptian technical expertise. Sudan, for example, could emerge as the breadbasket for Egypt and the Arab world. Egypt's current bread crisis could be ended if Egypt invested in reclaiming agricultural land in Sudan, setting up wheat farms and even using Egyptian labour if the need arises. In Al-Ahram, Taha Abdel-Alim wrote a column about the imperative of industrialising Egypt, stressing that the narrow selfish interests of the tycoons who exercise tremendous political clout cannot dictate the country's industrialisation process. "High economic growth rates alone will not ensure economic advancement. Egypt must first become a highly industrialised country," Abdel-Alim noted. "Only advanced industrialised countries enjoy economic clout," he concluded. This is not the best of times to be an Egyptian cabinet minister. The government is coming under fire from the public and pundits alike. Some ministers have resorted to denying that they have resigned. In the headline of the official daily Al-Akhbar, the influential Minister of Trade and Industry Rachid Mohamed Rachid was quoted as vehemently denying he had resigned or is intending to tender his resignation. Rachid insisted the government was committed to carrying out the changes promulgated by the People's Assembly concerning the law protecting the public from the evils of monopoly. However, the minister warned that the price of meat, poultry and grain are poised to rise sharply because of the floods in the United States. We do live in a global village and the minister's warnings are ample proof that Egypt is dangerously dependant on American foodstuffs. The vagaries of the weather in America have disastrous repercussions on the Egyptian consumer. In a desperate attempt to alleviate the problem, Rachid reiterated that Egypt has banned the export of vital commodities and foodstuffs such as rice and cement and that such drastic measures have managed to stabilise prices. A LE300 million fine is the maximum penalty for monopolising. Health-related matters also featured on the pages of some of the country's most prestigious papers. Mohamed Hindi in Al-Ahram examined the distressing phenomenon of the poor selling human organs in order to survive. Unscrupulous medical practitioners and business people ruthless in the trade exploit impoverished and desperate Egyptians and Sudanese nationals. The paper also carried an in-depth investigative report on the predicament of HIV/AIDS sufferers in Egypt today. According to the report there are 2,042 HIV/AIDS cases in the country. The prickly question of succession continued to pre-occupy the pundits. In an interview with the daily Al-Dostour, senior researcher at the Carnegie Amr Hamzawi provided his take on the future of Egypt after Mubarak. "There are three scenarios for the future of the presidency in Egypt: Gamal Mubarak, the second is a civil president from the ruling National Democratic Party, and the third a military figure who could be Chief of General Intelligence Omar Suleiman or another unknown military figure. The last scenario is highly likely to happen." Religion, or rather religious encroachments on politics and the politicisation of religion, was scrutinised by some pundits. In an interview published in the daily Al-Wafd, famous Islamic preacher Khaled El-Guindi was of the opinion that, "some of those [groups] who seek to come to power have abused religion and deceived the public," in a clear reference to the Muslim Brotherhood group. "Politics has caused a lot of damage to Islam, and Prophet Mohamed did not leave behind a political agenda," he added. "Politics and religion should be completely separated, and this opinion stems from a religious perspective," he opined. Sectarian strife also hit the headlines. Al-Dostour ran a feature about a phenomenon among the Coptic community in Egypt. It revealed that Coptic was no longer a dead language, a liturgical language reserved for Church sermons. "The Copts use the Coptic language in churches and homes, and they are eager to learn it," the feature pointed out. Coptic might soon be taught in schools and become a living language once again.
