Although born and raised in Kafr Meselha, a poor villages in el-Menoufia Governorate, Hosni Mubarak, overthrown in a popular revolt last year after ruling autocratically for 30 years, showed little interest in his village, even before he took office as President in 1981 after Sadat's assassination, according to other villagers. "We only know he's from Kafr Meselha because of Latifa's song [released in 1973, to celebrate the October War Victory]," they joke. You'd imagine this village to be a paradise, but it lacks a sewerage network and piped gas, while Kafr Meselha's sole medical facility can only be described as dire. Things came to a head during the January 25 Revolution, when villagers tore down Mubarak's photos, that had been on display at the entrances to the village for decades. They also entered governmental facilities and smashed up anything bearing the name or photo of Mubarak. The villagers also approved the decision taken by the board of Hosni Mubarak Club to change its name to simply Kafr Meselha Club for Sports. Everything bearing the photo of Mubarak has been removed, as his villagers were furious with him, because he didn't lift a finger to develop the village. Mohamed el-Deeb, one of the villagers, says that Mubarak did nothing to improve the basic services and utilities in Kafr Meselha, although other villages and cities in the governorate, from which former senior officials came, were well looked after. "He did not care about his village at all. He did nothing to upgrade its utilities, even before he became the ruler of Egypt," comments Maher Foul, another resident in the village. Major-General Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, cousin of the ousted president, told Al-Akhbar daily that Mubarak forgot all about his humble village. "We were victims of his rule. He did nothing for us, while other people benefited more. What saddens us is that his wife, Suzanne, did more to help her own relatives," he explains. Meanwhile, the residents of el-Adwa, 9km from el-Zaqaziq in el-Sharqia Governorate, from where President Morsi hails, say that they depend mainly on their own efforts to develop their village, as they do not want to put an additional burden on the State. Before Morsi became President, el-Adwa was known as the ‘Ideal Village', because the residents worked together to solve their problems. They also beautified the entrances to the village by planting trees and flowers there, its residents told Al-Akhbar. Few people had heard of el-Adwa before Mohammed Morsi became Egypt's first democratically elected President. Like another other village, el-Adwa has its fair share of problems, but its residents intend to be patient until the Egyptian economy bounces back. They want the President to give special care to every village nationwide, not just theirs, so that every citizen can enjoy the equality and justice the revolution called for. As for the problems, Assad Said, one of el-Adwa's residents, says that their village is famous for its fish wealth, but they still don't have a veterinary unit. The villagers also want piped gas, as they have to pay up to LE40 on the black market for a domestic cylinder that should only cost about LE3. Mohamed Omran, another villager, says that, of their many problems, he'd like to see one in particular solved – unemployment (to be continued tomorrow).
