CAIRO – In 1987 the Syrian actor Dored Laham played the character of Wadud in the famous movie 'Al Hodud' (The Border), an Arab who lost his passport and was forced to camp in the no-man's land between two countries, as he was not allowed to enter either of them. He had no idea that he was foretelling the fate of thousands of Egyptians some 25 years later. The film's bitter political satire showed how Arab unity was mere lip service, shattered by visa applications that obstructed free movement of Arabs in the 'Arab World'. Though the very same rules still apply, the citizens of nine villages in Daqahlia and Damietta, two governorates in the same country, seem to echo Wadud's plight. The village of Taftish el-Sorour has a chronic problem: for many years it has been divided into two, one part is affiliated to Daqahlia and the other to Damietta. The division was carried out in compliance with a cabinet decree issued by former Premier Ahmed Nazif. The villagers say that a former parliamentarian's personal interests prompted the decision. According to the topographical borders specified in the presidential decree No.116 of 1982, the Saru Canal constitutes a natural border between the two governorates. But on the ground this borderline is purely a virtual one. The result is that conflicting interests cause daily problems and harm a population of 35,000. Abdel Qader Fathi is a resident of New Alexandria, a village that is administrated by Daqahlia. He said the governorate did not offer them any services. As a result they would be forced to resort to neighbouring villages and towns affiliated to Damietta. The irony, however, as Fathi continued, was that while their residences and land were part of Daqahlia, they held Damietta voting cards and their children had to go to Damietta schools. Fathi told Al-Ahrar daily newspaper something even more absurd: sewage pipes extending from a village 15 kilometres away would pass right in front of his residence to reach a nearby station, while his village was deprived of a sewage system because it was part of Daqahlia. The Governor of Damietta, Mohamed Ali Flefal, recently discussed these problems with the affected villagers. They urged him remember previous rulings whereby village affiliation would be clarified and sorted out to spare people the trouble of going from one office to another in pursuit of their rights. The presidential decree of 1982 stipulated that all villages and governmental services west of the Saru Canal were part of Damietta to secure co-ordination, while villages east of the canal were to be part of Daqahlia. The villagers are now asking themselves whether the January 25 revolution, which is meant to redress faulty situations, could solve the border problems between the two governorates? The answer might be as simple as the question but it appears, as Wadud asserted in the film mentioned above, that preaching is one thing but action is a totally different matter.
