EGYPTIANS have been virtually paralysed by a wave of crises that have hit them recently. Two of the most serious crises were the gas cylinder shortage and the big queues for subsidised bread outside the governmental bakeries. No sooner were these two problems resolved than another one reared its ugly head: a shortage of diesel that has badly affected certain industries and drivers of tractors, taxis and microbuses. Meanwhile, the price of a kilo of beef has risen yet again to LE60 (more than $10). One wonders who is responsible for these crises and why the authorities which are meant to prevent these crises haven't done so. Professor of Economics and Crisis Management at Ain Shams University Mohamed Abdul-Azeem says that crises are due to a number of problems, including corruption. He describes the gas cylinder and diesel problems, as well as flour from the subsidised bakeries being sold to the private-sector bakeries, as artificial crises, which he blames on the absence of governmental control over the markets. Abul Khair Abdul-Samei', a member of the Shura Council (the Upper House of the Egyptian Parliament), says that greedy meat traders exploit the public by continually raising their prices, in order to amass fortunes. The problem is that the power is in the hands of the traders. “The Government is trying hard to resolve the problem by selling large quantities of imported meat at the cooperatives, as well as controlling the distribution of gas cylinders,” Abdul-Samei' said, adding that citizens contribute to the crises by purchasing large quantities of commodities that are in short supply, instead of boycotting them. Mohamed Abdul-Aziz, a member of the Industry and Manpower Committee at the People's Assembly (the Lower House of Egyptian Parliament), told Horriati weekly magazine that the crises are all too real, blaming it on the fact that supply exceeds demand, due to poor governmental planning. However, Saber Bedawi, a member of the Industry and Energy Committee at the People's Assembly, argues that the crises are ‘artificial', claiming that there's always a shortage of gas cylinders at this time every year. Medhat Hammad, a crisis management expert, blames everyone: the Government, businessmen, service providers and the public.
