Page 32 - Issue 64

Vol.1 Issue 64 ÉLITE

from 84.5% in 2013 to 44.6% in 2023 and budget. For example, the authority of
interest payments have increased from 25% urban communities made profit of 108
to 34.7% (check the chart below). billion L.E in 2022/2023, of which only 5%
The future outlook does not give much was diverted to the state budget.
hope. More reductions in subsidies and In order for this to change, political
hikes in utility prices are expected. And reforms are needed as the current
amidst the economic crisis we are facing, monopolization of power and authority is
the new phase of the administrative capital leading to a very exclusive vision that does
started at the beginning of this year while not take into consideration its effects on
the poor are still suffering with no one to everyone. The government should be held
hear their rightful demands. The accountable and civil society should be
government is not likely to change its given more space to push the government

course of massive spending on mega towards increasing its capacity and to
projects and building new cities in the become more effective and efficient,
middle of the desert, and it does not mind otherwise the government will just keep
doing so at the expense of the poor. “The passing its failures to the poor. However,
rulers believe in the idea of the state itself, this is not expected to happen soon, and so
the powerful state by itself, the state that the misery of the poor continues, and so
does not become weaker, nor softer, nor does the war against them.
does it answer to their feebleness, no matter
how much they solicited or even begged”,
says Anwar Al-Hawary, a journalist and
writer, in his latest book, “Waiting for
Freedom”. The government deals with the
citizens as pockets and revenue source, not
as the source of its authority.
The government also considers putting
more burden on the poor the first option.
Instead of cutting bread subsidies, the
government could, not to mention that it

“should”, fight corruption and inefficiencies
that lead to higher costs in goods and
services. It could investigate corruption in
public owned enterprises, like Egypt Air,
and work on turning their losses into
profits. For instance, the losses of the
National Media Authority were EGP 11
billion in 2022, just 4 billion below the
amount saved from the reduction in the
bread subsidy. Most importantly, the
government could start diverting the profits
of economic authorities to support the state

July 2024, p.32