I have a question for Minister of Information Anas el-Fiqi: Which is more important in your opinion, launching a new comedy channel, or marketing the president's decisions and the government policies that face the repercussions of the global financial crisis that is suffocating the people? I wish the minister would answer openly and unreservedly. Until he does, I list the following facts for him and for everyone that cares for this country:
The Algerian President Bouteflika dropped 410 million euros in debts by defaulting farmers, although Algeria is not an agricultural country and agriculture is not a priority of its development. But this is how they think there and how they fight to escape from the grip of the crisis. This is what their media is marketing among the Algerians.
Iraq reduced the salaries of the president, the ministers and the MPs. It has also canceled some ministries that were deemed unnecessary in order to fight the crisis that is stifling a country that produces three million barrels of oil per day. The South-East Asian countries met in Thailand this week and declared that there is no way to escape from the crisis unless there is a new international financial system that could save the world.
The 27 members of the European Union speak these days of a way to deal urgently with the bad debts between companies, like the LE 100 billion that our General Petroleum Corporation is indebted with that may be tolerated in normal times but not in times of crises. Dr. Magdi Radi, the spokesman for the Council of Ministers, on Saturday said that the government has five axes in facing the global crisis. This was the first time the government talks about specific procedures and steps. So when will our media explain to us what those five axes are? And why did the media not tell us about President Mubarak's decision regarding 120,000 farmers similar to what Bouteflika did? Wake up Mr. Fiqi!
