The social unrest triggered in Tunisia and Algeria because of successive waves of price rises and a frustrating unemployment problem has actually conveyed an unmistakable message to other Arab countries with similar conditions. In Jordan, King Abdullah hastened to effect a series of measures to lower prices of basic commodities to appease public anger. The Libyan government, on its part, has cancelled custom fees on imported foodstuff. However, Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Rashid Mohamed Rashid dismissed the likely occurrence of such riots in Egypt, saying that the Government is committed to food subsidies directed towards 62 million beneficiaries. The first spark of protest was ignited in Tunisia when Mohamed Bouzizi, a young unemployed man, set fire to himself outside a governmental building. The question that poses itself: How many Bouzizis are there in this country? The local press recently carried the story of a 29-year old Egyptian university graduate who hanged himself for not being able to find a job in the course of seven years. His likes indeed stand in a long queue waiting for a chance to survive depressing circumstances. The Government subsidy system, despite its loopholes, does cover the needs of a wide base of the public. But there remains the general standard of living that has put 40 per cent of Egyptians below the poverty line. Moreover, in a country where 60 per cent of its population is under the age of 30, the consequences of a high rate of unemployment would not be so difficult to imagine. Other problems, such as around a 30 per cent rate of illiteracy and a widening rich-poor gap are today causing socio-economic difficulties that are pressing hard on the Government. The problem then is not only restricted to prices but to a general frustrating atmosphere, which needs comprehensive reform packages that do not address the tip of the iceberg but its base. Basic issues as education, political reform, strict anti-corruption schemes, fair opportunities, civil rights are prerequisites for a better life that the majority people of this country are yearning for.
