Egyptian expatriates had complained under the old regime of policies that failed to establish links between them and their homeland despite the flow of remittances from them that helped boost economy. According to World Bank estimates such remittances accounted for around four per cent of the country's GDP in 2010, a large segment of the money coming from Egyptians working in the Gulf States. The revolution, whose aims included rectifying such erroneous situations, did justice to expatriates in certain aspects, among which was their right to take part in elections, which they had long been denied. It was quite natural then that the post-revolution government(s) should extend a hand to those expatriates in terms of services back home and investment facilities and enticing them to offer their know-how in all fields. The Ministry of Housing was one of the first bodies to work within this context, putting forth a huge housing project for expatriates offering plots of land in different areas. But apparently the ministry officials have not yet been able to rid their minds of the old way of thinking. The price tag for land in these areas has been provokingly high, such that demand for the plots fell well below expectations. Within the framework of a promotional programme an official delegation toured a number of Gulf State where they listened to comments of expatriates on the project. Returning home, the only change the ministry made was to lower the down payment from 50 to 35 per cent of the cost instead of changing the price itself. The deadline for application has also been extended until the end of August although it was previously extended twice due to low demand as a consequence of the astronomical prices. The project as such is not likely to meet its set targets as long as officials insist upon dealing with expatriates in their capacity as ‘walking banks' rather than as first-rate citizens. If State agencies continue to look at expatriates with an exploitative eye, Egyptians abroad will remain detached from their homeland.
