Whenever Ramadan approaches government agencies suddenly become concerned with markets, goods and services. This is a feature of the patriarchal state which the Egyptian regime is unwilling to admit has actually ended a few years ago. The purpose of establishing this state in the mid-fifties was to tighten the grip of the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser on society. It is based on a social contract under which the state takes care of the people from the cradle to the grave in return for giving up their political freedom and the right to choose their rulers, hold them accountable and even replace them. The patriarchal state takes care of its children and manages affairs on their behalf like what the father in the traditional family does with his young children. This kind of state was widely known in the world half a century ago, but it quickly subsided, leaving nothing but form without substance as is the case in Egypt. The latest Ministry of Finance report on the performance of the Egyptian economy from July 2007 to May 2008 showed a significant increase in government subsidies for goods and services by up to 130 percent. This is a new leap in subsidy allocation, which jumped to about LE 76 billion from LE 33 billion in the same period last year, according to this official report. Regardless of the accuracy of the data the report has relied on, the truth is the volume of subsidies is on the rise. But the recent dramatic increase occurred at a time when the number of queues has increased. In these queues people suffer to secure their basic needs. These queues are not limited to subsidized bread, but have spread from bakeries to fuel stations where people are queuing up to get the cheaper 80-octane petrol. But this gasoline problem pales in comparison with the problems of over-consumption during Ramadan. The re-escalation of the bread crisis coupled with the newly discovered shortage of flour rations in some areas explains the current state of confusion. The problem is not only related to the subsidized commodities but also to some basic services, especially water, especially clean drinking water. The matter has become a bit of a farce when a State, which claims to be the patron of the people and society, fails to provide water in a country housing one of the largest and most important rivers of the world. This issue came to the fore for the first time last year when the residents of the Al-Borollus in the Nile Delta took to the streets and blocked the main road to demand their right to clean water. Their stance encouraged Egyptians in other areas to hold similar demonstrations against a situation that has transported them back in time, forcing them to seek primitive methods. Water is sometimes absent for days on end, not just for a few hours a day, as was the case in the past. The image of middle class men and women carrying containers in their cars to be filled with drinking water from the nearest source has even become commonplace in some new cities near Cairo, like the upscale El-Sherouk City. Egyptians who have still not suffered from this problem in their areas do not believe that the traditional water vendor has come back in some areas. This imbalance poses a danger to any country, especially if this country claims to give parental care and have the ability to solve people s problems. Nevertheless, the Egyptian state does not want to acknowledge this reality to avoid the inevitable implications, a change of the social contract it imposes on the society. The state s recognition that it cannot solve the problems of society alone requires it to acknowledge the right of this society to participate in the management of its affairs, and thus in determining the policies of this state and choosing those who can implement these policies. To participate seriously in solving its problems and bear its own allotted burden of the responsibility, society has to regain its freedom. To have effective participation, the society must adopt the values of individual creativity and self-reliance. Freedom is an indispensable condition for the existence and spread of these values in a way that can contribute to changing the image of life in Egypt. This means shrinking the quasi-absolute authority of the state and making their rulers accountable to society. Those who managed to avoid accountability today, might not be able to escape it tomorrow. Dr Waheed Abdel Meguid is an expert at Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.
