Man of steel
Economic decrees that change overnight, the NDP's alleged disregard for the law and Al-Azhar's position on other religions induced a flurry of op-eds in this week's Egyptian press, writes Aziza Sami
In the wake of the sudden announcement which made headlines in last week's press, that tariffs on steel imports would be reduced and anti-dumping fees lifted, the two national dailies, Al-Ahram and Al-Akhbar, came out on 14 January with more cautious front-page headlines. Al-Akhbar's story, "Cancelling anti-dumping fees being studied, pending the approval of the WTO", quoted a responsible source as saying that the Ministry of Economy "will make the necessary contacts with the WTO to review the requisite conditions for lifting anti- dumping fees enforced on steel imports". These, the source said, "will be lifted if the WTO approves the step".
On the same day, the weekly left-wing opposition daily Al-Ahali interpreted this as being "a government manoeuvre intended to support monopoly." The newspaper wrote, "The government has not taken any steps to eliminate anti-dumping fines which reached 40 per cent. It has just lifted barriers to imports which will have little effect given the current exchange rate. This situation will only serve to consolidate the monopoly of businessman Ahmed Ezz over the Alexandria National Steel Company, Al-Dekheila, which supplies raw material to the domestic market." Al-Ahali quoted the prominent left-wing economist Ismail Sabri Abdallah as saying that "the government is avoiding the issue in order not to provide the mechanism which will prevent the monopolists from raising prices whenever they want."
The opposition daily Al-Wafd issued by the Wafd Party continued to ride the high horse in its ongoing campaign against what it charged was the government's "total disrespect of the law". In a section called "Special Files" the newspaper on 14 January ran an investigative report headlined, "Lost justice in the state of law: if a court ruling is passed in favour of the government it executes, if against, it ignores it".
This was echoed on 15 January in the daily "Half a Word" written by Al-Akhbar's satirist Ahmed Ragab. "For the 100th time the government is penning a law to lure investments even though it knows that the biggest reason causing investors to flee this country is the lack of implementation of court rulings and the losses to investors which result. For instance, last year a court ordered that the current finance minister be jailed and removed from office because he refused to implement a court order. The government says the sentence has not been executed because they can't find the minister's address."
The poor investment levels in the economy received a notable share of press coverage in both the national and opposition newspapers after the expected amendments to the country's investment law known as the investment incentives law. Al-Wafd chose as its banner on 14 January news of "a new condemnation of the economy's performance". The sub-headlines read that Egypt "holds position No 95 in the international list of economic liberalisation countries". The newspaper, citing a report issued by the American Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, said, "The multiplicity of economic laws and institutions, coupled with a lack of studied decisions, are impeding projects and investment. The economy's growth is 2.9 per cent while net FDI stands at $446.6 million," the newspaper wrote. On the same day, Al-Akhbar columnist Said Sonbol wrote of the role of bureaucracy in keeping investors away, starting his article with "Egyptian bureaucracy can take the greater share of the credit for having expelled investors from the country."
After the huge controversy which the Grand Imam of Al- Azhar created in both the national and opposition press following his controversial backing of the French government's plan to ban the hijab in government schools, Al-Ahram made it a point to publish a statement by President of Al-Azhar University Ahmed El-Tayyib to the effect that "Al-Azhar makes it a point to teach all denominations and religions and to accept and respect them all, even in the case of disagreement. Al-Azhar is concerned with teaching moderate and correct Islamic heritage." The statement was made during a meeting, the daily said, with professors from the US and the German ambassador in Cairo.
On the following day, 15 January Al- Ahram's editorial commented that "Al- Azhar University did well when it announced that it rejects all forms of bigotry and is keen to teach all denominations and religions. This statement comes at a critical moment when Al-Azhar will teach the new discipline of comparative religions which will show that there is more agreement between religions than dissension. It also underscores the crucial role played by social circumstances in bringing about militancy or moderation." The editorial concluded that "militancy brings nothing but hardship and economic difficulties... Islam condones tolerant individuals and moderation is better for people's lives than fanaticism."
On Egypt-US relations, Al-Akhbar on 15 January highlighted the news that President Mubarak had received a letter from President George W Bush "in appreciation of Egypt's role in establishing peace" and that the strategic dialogue between the two countries would be resumed during President Mubarak's upcoming visit to Washington. Highlighted as well was the statement by US Assistant Secretary of State William Burns that "strategic dialogue between Egypt and the US does not mean forcing US positions and that the two countries would cooperate in establishing stability in various parts of the Middle East." This had been preceded, however, the day before in an editorial by Al-Akhbar's Editor-in-Chief Galal Dowidar that "the US administration still insists on contradictions in its policy and its partiality to aggressive Israeli policies which negatively affect peace and stability in the Middle East. All we ask of this administration, which represents the world's sole superpower, is that it lives up to its claims of spreading justice and equality among nations, and that it makes all of us -- without exception -- acquiesce to international legitimacy."
