A tug-of-war between shop owners and the Government over closing stores, cafés and other commercial businesses at 10pm has deepened, as the Federation of Chambers of Commerce is now threatening to sue governors if this plan comes into effect. While the Government says the plan would save up to LE6 billion ($984 million), analysts believe it is a makeshift to reduce power consumption nationwide. But will the nation sleep at 10? "This is nonsense. Closing shops at 10pm will hit our business. Hosni Mubarak wasn't able to do anything like this. What is happening to this country?" wonders Hashem Badra, the owner of a café in Shubra, northern Cairo. In 2010, the Ahmed Nazif-led Cabinet, under toppled president Mubarak, proposed a scheme to force shops to close at 7pm. But most people rejected the idea and then Mubarak was ousted in 2011 in the January 25 Revolution. "Mubarak is in jail now. He must be laughing over the fact that the first elected Government after him is following in his footsteps. If anyone comes here and tells me to shut my café at 10pm, I'll break their legs," Badra says in a very defiant tone. Adel Girgis, the owner of a jewellery shop, totally agrees with his neighbour, Badra, saying that closing at 10pm will offer thugs and burglars "a golden chance to make a living". "The streets are not safe. My car was stolen in broad daylight near a police station a few weeks ago. The Government must be joking about this plan. Whoever is behind it must be a real jerk. "I finish trading at nearly 10pm. But I have to stay in my shop until midnight, removing the jewellery from the window displays and putting it away in a safe place. "The Government should realise that crowded streets at night make people feel safe. Otherwise, people will lock their homes after sunset. Is that what the Government wants?" asks Girgis, adding that he will have to sleep in his shop if this plan goes ahead. In many countries all over the world, shops work from 8am till 7pm. So why all this brouhaha over a plan that aims at saving power and restoring order, particularly in Cairo, ‘the city that never sleeps'? Proponents of the idea wonder why Egyptians don't change their shopping habits and become like Europeans. But the other camp think it would be useless, given the country's long summer season and Egyptians' way of life. But the idea isn't new. In 1980, the Government at that time set regular hours for shops from 10am until 8pm, except for Mondays and Thursdays when shops used to close at 9pm. It did not last long. The most populous Arab country with 90 million people today had a population of only 40 million back in 1980. While the Government stresses the need to save power as planned in the scheme, experts doubt any possible reduction in energy consumption. Egypt consumes around 127 billion kilowatts of electricity annually, according to the Ministry of Electricity. "More than 70 per cent of electricity is consumed by the manufacturing and domestic sectors. Commercial use of power is less than 3 per cent," says Mohamed Ibrahim, an energy expert. "Power use usually peaks between sunset and 9pm. So there's no need to force shops to close at 10pm. If the move is part of the Government's plan to get the IMF loan, what would saving LE6 billion do?" Ibrahim wonders, referring to negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over a $4.8 billion loan. Rumour has it that slashing energy subsidies is a prerequisite for getting the IMF's financial facility. Power subsidies account for nearly 70 per cent of total governmental spending, according to official reports. Energy subsidies are forecast to hit LE114 billion ($18.7 billion) in the fiscal year (FY) 2012-13. Energy subsidies totalled LE90 billion in FY 2011-12, according to the Ministry of Finance. Egypt's fiscal year begins on July 1. Last year, commercial use of electricity stood at 3.5 billion kilowatts, accounting for 2.7 per cent of total power consumption, according to the Ministry of Electricity. Governmental use of power stood at 9 per cent of total consumption. Moreover, analysts say that the Government aims at reducing power use at home to expand its exports through the Pan-Arab Power Grid, which links seven countries: Egypt, Libya, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey.
