Numbers dominate the headlines in state-owned papers today. Al-Ahram’s leads with a story titled "70 percent of the new budget allocated for salaries, fares, and subsidies," which looks at potential outcomes of tomorrow’s meeting between Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and the cabinet where they will discuss the 2010/2011 budget.
Al-Ahram reports that salaries are expected to rise a total of LE95 billion, a ten percent increase from this fiscal year. The paper also states that the government expects to take in approximately LE131 billion in taxes. If accurate, the number would represent a LE10 billion increase from last year.
Al-Akhbar’s front page features a quote from the government, claiming, “Proportion of poor down to 18.9 percent.” In its lead story, Al-Akhbar describes a “confrontation in parliament between the government and the Central Auditing Organization over the poor.” Gawdat el-Malt, the head of the state-run CAO, disagreed with Minister of Economic Development Osman Mohamed Osman, who stated that, according to reports published by the Central Bank, the percentage of Egyptians living in poverty decreased more than four percent over the past five years.
According to Al-Akhbar, el-Malt commended the cabinet members for achieving an economic growth of 4.7 percent during a global financial crisis, but also stated that “economic performance does not translate to an improvement of living standards for the poverty-stricken.” Al-Akhbar says el-Malt referenced a recent report by the United Nations, which placed the proportion of those living in poverty in Egypt at 23.4 percent in 2008/2009.
Al-Gomhurriya leadss with the headline, "Osman to parliament: July raises will not fall under seven percent.” The paper reprints Economic Development Minister Osman’s assertion of “developments” in salary rates by the Higher Council for Wages, which meets annually to discuss "routine raises." Due to recent economic developments, which, according to the paper, have elevated 8.5 million citizens from the “cycle of poverty,” Osman claims to anticipate a wage increase of no less than seven percent. Al-Gomhurriya largely ignores the “confrontation” described in Al-Akhbar, stating simply “CAO reports on the percentage of poverty-stricken are untrue."
Also in Al-Gomhurriya is a report of a “love demonstration” held during yesterday’s Shura Council session. Reportedly, members of the council joined together to pray for President Mubarak’s safe return from Germany, so that he may "continue his legacy of generosity." The event was organized by Shura Council Speaker Safwat el-Sherif.
Al-Shorouq offers a drastic change of tempo, quoting Mohamed ElBaradei in a headline, “I am a matchstick next to a powder keg.” The headline accompanies a photo of the Nobel Peace Prize winner looking ready to slap someone. In an interview with former Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnick, ElBaradei stated “Egypt has not known democracy for the past 50 years, and many people have lost faith in themselves, and their ability to change things.” The former director of the IAEA and possible candidate for the presidency proceeded to explain that the process of bringing positive change to Egypt would be a lengthy and difficult one, before adding, “people are waiting for someone to come in on a white stallion and offer a solution, but the reality is every single person should be equally responsible for any political change.”
Al-Dostour leads with a synopsis of an “angry play” staged at a church in Alexandria. The play discusses the shooting of six Christians and one Muslim on Coptic Christmas in the Upper-Egyptian town Naga Hammadi. “A Sign on My Forehead” depicts the frustration, sadness and “anger” felt by the Christian community after the incident.
The paper describes a “surprise” in the production: a Muslim cast member took to the stage—which Al-Dostour describes as "designed to look like the Egyptian flag”—to deliver a monologue prophesying an inevitable Coptic revolution. The actor continued to “describe an imagined scenario of Copts storming mosques and slaughtering sheikhs, women, and children under the principle of ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’” Throughout his performance, the young actor reportedly held up a sign bearing the foreboding message: “the nightmare is not over.”
“This play comes as an expression of Coptic anger after authorities ignored their community’s silent protest over the latest massacre,” Al-Dostour quotes the director as saying.
Al-Wafd appears to have moved on from its problems with Al-Masry Al-Youm for the sake of a fresh story on rotten meat. “Killer meat in consumer societies and the markets,” screams the headline to a nauseating leading story. According to the paper, the government “allowed” 12 separate companies to import frozen meat from India infected with Sarcocystis. Al-Wafd claims that the government then made the tainted meat available in the market for LE25 a kilo.
A reported total of 254,618 tons of meat fortified with sarcocys worms have been imported, with the majority of that number then promptly, as the paper puts it, “devoured by citizens.” The paper dutifully elaborates on Sarcocystis, explaining it to be most commonly found in animals that routinely feed on dog feces. Al-Wafd claims to have documents linking former head of the General Authority for Veterinary Services Hamed Samaha with the scandal. Samaha was relieved of his post on 14 March.
Egypt’s newspapers:
Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt
Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size
Al-Gomhorriya: Daily, state-run
Rose el-Youssef: Daily, state-run, close to the National Democratic Party’s Policies Secretariat
Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned
Al-Shorouq:Daily, privately owned
Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party
Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Arab Nasserist party
Youm7: Weekly, privately owned
Sawt el-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
