Flying off trackWith his characteristic sarcasm and unrivalled tongue-in-cheek humour, Mr Mohamed Salmawy draws attention in his article I ll never visit Japan again! (published Nov. 17 in Commentary), to what has become of us, the Egyptians, without really delving into the issue. Referring to the precision which characterizes the Japanese and their determined quest for perfection, Mr Salmawy makes his readers wonder, as did Dr Galal Amin, in "Whatever happened to the Egyptians? The Japanese find it unacceptable for their trains not to stop exactly at the designated point, not an inch forward or backward. Egyptians, in comparison, have become accustomed to trains flying off the tracks and attribute the ensuing disasters to fate. Rather than confront our shortcomings and devise strategies for overcoming them, we defend, excuse and justify them. That is why Japanese trains are on schedule, stop precisely where they're expected, and get from point A to point B without incident, whereas ours fly off the tracks. Hanan WasfyCairoVia email Thoughts about Egypt: But not the EgyptiansWith reference to Dr Galal Amin's column "Nothing trickles down (published Nov. 15 in Commentary) I must say that I too, have read that growth rate is at 7 percent and have heard NDP officials congratulate themselves on the economic progress they have achieved. I assumed, probably like many others, that the figure they put out was false. After all, one has to be blind, deaf and dumb not to realize the worsening economic conditions suffered by the country's middle and lower classes. Dr Amin's article clarified the mystery. Economic growth within the context of increased impoverishment is possible and not at all uncommon. Whether or not all benefit from economic growth is ultimately dependant on the policies pursued and the sources of economic growth. If growth does not embrace and account for the middle and lower classes but, instead, marginalizes them, only the economic elite will accrue the benefits of growth. Unfortunately, and as Dr Amin points out, this is the case. Ramy ZakiCairoVia Email Whose victim?The portrayal of Mubarak Junior as a victim of his father's policies, as Dr Abdel Meguid insists he is in his column "Gamal Mubarak: Whose Victim? (published Nov. 20 in Commentary), would have been ludicrous were not the argument so logical. The National Democratic Party's determined repression of all legitimate forms of political participation, its blatant suppression of the political parties, and its unapologetically aggressive stance against all who dare criticise it, have combined to ensure that Mubarak Jr face an uphill battle. There is nothing in the constitution to suggest that a president's son cannot aspire to the presidency and nothing that Mubarak Jr has done suggests that he does not have the requisite qualifications. At the same time, he has done nothing to assure the masses that he is suited for the presidency and constitutional and party reforms appear to be directed by the imperatives of putting him in office irrespective of whether he has mass support or is rejected. Maybe, as Dr Abdel Meguid suggests, we are misreading the signs and Mubarak Jr has little interest in the presidency. However, as he says, the political climate created by Mubarak the father's policies has taught us irrevocably to become suspicious of any and all official statements. Therefore, all we really know is that we do not know whether or not Mubarak Jr will step into Mubarak Sr's shoes. Marwa AdelCairoVia email
