WATANI International
20 February 2011
The 25 January protest or revolution, as has become customary to dub it, was accompanied and followed by a state of anarchy and terror. The assault, plunder, sabotage, and arson, was made all the more possible by the retreat of the Interior Ministry security forces and withdrawal of its staff as the army stepped in. Egyptians called the withdrawal an act of treason, but the new Interior Minister Mahmoud Wagdy explained that it had been inevitable since the security forces were being attacked with a force far beyond their ability to defend themselves. Yet and despite the fact that the primary goal of the revolution was achieved when President Mubarak stepped down, the state of chaos continued to prevail.
Wasting fertile land
The absence of regulatory and supervisory authorities was exploited to the advantage of many who wished to get away with unlawful practices. An official report issued by the ministries of agriculture and local development revealed that some 31,000 buildings had been erected on agricultural land in various spots all along Egypt between 25 January and 8 February. There is a law in Egypt against building on agricultural land, with a view to preserving that precious strip of fertile land in the Nile Valley and Delta, and which amounts to no more than six per cent of the entire area of Egypt. Ayman Farid Abu-Hadid, the Minister of Agriculture in the current government, railed against the detrimental practice, requesting citizens to report trespasses, and giving orders that infringements be handled very firmly. He warned that every building erected in violation of the law would be pulled down.
The penalty of trespassing on agricultural land goes up to five years in prison or a fine of not more than EGP500,000 in addition to a 1 per cent fine of the value of the building to be paid for every day before the violating structure is demolished.
Flats galore
Violations did not stop at the seizure of agricultural land. Thugs seized apartments in satellite towns around Cairo, the owners of which were for one reason or another not in residence then. Such flats were privately owned either directly or through syndicates or special institutions. The Ministry of Housing has started to gather information regarding these units and their quantity. The relevant authorities in satellite towns filed proceedings against the violators in order to evict them. According to a spokesman of the Urban Communities Authority, thousands of flats were seized, including full buildings in some cases. Amin Abdel Moneim, head of the New Cairo apparatus—a satellite town east of Cairo—said the authorities were able to return to its owners a building which had been completely seized by the thugs, with the exception of a flat which had an iron door.
In 6 October satellite town west of Cairo, an unusual sight greeted passers-by amid all the turmoil. A crowd had gathered in front of the town apparatus headquarters. At a first glance it was taken to be some demonstration, but it was discovered that the town apparatus had opened its doors for applications to purchase flats. People hastened to apply since, owing to the current dire economic situations, no guarantees were required for payment facilities.
Demonstrations and sit-ins
During the last days of Mubarak and till Watani went to press, Cairo and several Egyptian towns were the scenes of sit-ins and labour demonstrations. More than 65 protests which included hundreds of thousands of demonstrators across Egypt threatened productivity in many fields.
In the industrial suburb of Helwan south of Cairo, some 3000 temporary workers at Tora Cement Factory (TCF) went on strike, demanding long-term contracts. Workers in other factories protested against CEOs and demanded their departure. In an army affiliated factory, workers protested against the administration because of last month’s ‘unjustified’ deductions from their salaries.
Calling for a rise in bonuses and incentives, a group of workers with the Egyptian Railway Authority held a sit-in on the railway lines of Cairo’s main Railway Station, Mahatet Masr. Trains heading to Upper Egypt had to be halted. Some press employees protested against mergers between various publishing houses, a move which they saw as threatening to their jobs.
In the oil sector, the staff of 11 companies in six governorates demonstrated for the return of laid-off employees, in addition to the classical demands related to pay and living standards.
Some 5,000 employees working with the Ministry of Irrigation demanded long-term contracts, pointing out that more than 20,000 workers for the drainage authority worked against no contracts. In Giza, workers with the Cairo Cleaning and Beautification Agency demonstrated for three days in a row demanding wage raises and protesting penalties inflicted on them and the poor health and social services they were granted.
Banks too
The strikes and demand for better pays and living conditions also included workers at the Ministries of Social Solidarity, Finance, Education, Culture and Agriculture. Among the public sector employees who went on strike were those of the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics, the Public Transportation Authority (PTA) and the Metro Maintenance and Operation Authority. In the medical field, hundreds protested demanding better pay and living conditions. Workers with the General Authority for Medicine Control, the Research Institute for Eye Diseases as well as the staff of many public hospitals and the Vaccine Authority (Vacsera) also held demonstrations and sit-ins.
Cairo, Ain Shams and Helwan Universities were the scenes of similar manifestations. In Helwan University members of the staff demanded the departure of the University dean, Mahmoud al-Tayeb as well as their right to equal opportunity, regarding wages, bonuses and treatment.
Some bakery owners in different governorates contested contracts signed with the Ministry of social solidarity and threatened to close down their bakeries.
Public banks were no exception to the new trend. Last Sunday saw widespread demonstrations and sit-ins which were organised by members of the staff of eight public sector banks; among them Banque Misr, the National Bank of Egypt and the recently privatised Bank of Alexandria, now owned by the Italian Intesa SanPaolo. The government decided to halt work in all Egyptian banks until the following week. Today, committees will be formed from the staff of each bank to discuss their complaints with the Central Bank of Egypt.