Brought together is an improbable mix of observations and complaints, write Gamal Nkrumah and Mohamed El-Sayed The unprecedented official three-day visit of President Hosni Mubarak to Poland, the first by an Egyptian leader since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1927, was eagerly covered by the press. The pundits pontificated about the long-standing cultural and tourism ties between Egypt and Poland, noting that there are about 350,000 Polish visitors who fetch the country sorely-needed hard currency, and that the sun-starved Poles have been flocking to Egypt's beaches in ever-increasing numbers. Foreign, including regional, concerns hit the headlines. Writing in the official daily Al-Ahram, distinguished columnist Salama Ahmed Salama was of the opinion that the suicide bombing in Jerusalem last week was all but expected. "Israel will never realise peace as long as it rejects the principle of peaceful co-existence based on a just peace and recognition of lawful Palestinian rights." Salama added, "it has become crystal clear that violence and blind use of force are reigning supreme in the Middle East. [Condoleezza] Rice came to the region and left and was well aware beforehand that talk about peace negotiations in light of Israeli incursions [into Gaza], Palestinian divisions, and Arab eagerness [to enter into peach talks with Israel] is so much hot air." Salama also touched upon the new rising star of Russia. In his column, he reminisced about a time when Russia was a world power with tremendous impact in the Middle East and speculated on the role of Russia under Dmitri Medvedev. He was full of praise for outgoing Russian president Vladimir Putin's record, especially his economic steering of the country out of the doldrums. The weekly opposition Al-Arabi ran a front page headline about the pitched battles erupting between low-income people queuing in front of outlets selling subsidised bread. "The battles for bread have erupted", read the headline. The paper reported that some people had used Molotov cocktails and knives in their quarrels which had left many people dead. "A dangerous escalation in commodity prices, and reports to the president warning against a popular explosion", read another headline. In an op-ed, veteran economist Ahmed El-Sayed El-Naggar tackled the issue of poverty. "What the poor [in Egypt] actually get... is not a grant from anybody. In fact, it is far less than their due rights and share in the revenues of the country's natural resources and the assets accrued by older generations." The weekly opposition Sawt Al-Umma ran pictures of long queues of bread buyers in almost every corner of the country. It also reported numerous violent incidents. Bread and butter issues remain the overriding concern of the press. Writing in the daily opposition Al-Wafd, Said Abdel-Khaleq wondered about the deteriorating economic conditions that have led to queues in front of subsidised bread outlets. "[The fights] that break out in front of these outlets are unprecedented in Egypt's history. Egyptians have never used knives and weapons to elbow their way to get bread... one might wonder: why doesn't the political leadership intervene since the government is unable to act? "Is this possible? How is it that an Egyptian citizen is no longer able to secure five or 10 loaves to feed his family?" The hullabaloo over the prices of subsidised bread hit the headlines as never before. The business daily Al-Mal ran an editorial warning against the end of the cheap food era. "The challenges facing Egypt are no longer limited to exporting larger amounts of agricultural products, but more importantly, it has become securing the wheat needed for its citizens." Having opened the door to a debate about the future of Cairo, and the future of its community, which constitutes a quarter of the country's population, the monthly cultural magazine Weghat Nazar ran an article by Rushdi Said who tried to paint a picture of the social fabric of the Cairene/Egyptian society. Criticising the government's policy of selling large plots of land on the outskirts of Cairo to investors to build luxury houses, Said is of the opinion that, "if the Ministry of Housing continues to build luxury housing compounds, it will be difficult to speak about the future of the capital." He added that if this policy continues, "my prediction, that the Egyptian society will inevitably be divided into two categories -- a small, very rich elite, and marginalised masses the majority of which will be living on the least means of sustenance -- will come true. In the 21st century, new generations of both categories of the society will grow up to be further divided. The elitist generation will dwell in new, privately guarded fenced-in compounds outside cities and will join private schools and universities, and entertain themselves in special places, leaving current [government-run] schools and universities, which are destined to further deteriorate, to the [poor] masses." Tackling the same issue, Ahmed El-Hefnawi pointed out that, "Cairo has become home to a quarter of the population, which is unprecedented in the history of world capitals." Al-Wafd ran a feature about the richest people in the country. "Who possesses wealth in Egypt?" ran the headline of a feature which showed that, "there are as many as 500 billionaires, a million millionaires, while the rest of the 75 million citizens are fighting to make ends meet." The paper reported that, "Naguib Sawiris tops the list with a fortune of LE34 billion, followed by Mohamed Shafiq Gabr (LE12 billion), Ahmed Ezz (LE5.5 billion) and Hesham Talaat Mustafa (LE4.4 billion)." The paper also reported that, "there are 152,000 people who own 40 per cent of Egypt's national income."
