News:

On Saturday 5th of July, 2014 the government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi shocked Egyptians by dramatically raising fuel prices. For instance, the price of diesel used in industry and in public transport, including the microbuses heavily relied upon by the poor, has jumped by 64 per cent a litre. The highest price rise was for octane gasoline used by older cars, up 78 per cent per litre. Natural gas prices for a range of industries have also increased by 30 to 70 per cent.

Comment:

"This is worse than what Mubarak used to do; they want to make it survival of the strongest and the fittest and the poor people will die in the middle."-- Mohamed Farag Egyptian civil servant

The rise in fuel prices is part of the Egyptian government's efforts to trim the budget deficit after decades of economic mismanagement during Mubarak's rule. In the past financial year, the budget deficit was 14% of gross domestic product (GDP) and public debt exceeded 100% of GDP. The government aims to save $6bn this year alone by cutting fuel subsidies and the programme will run for 5 years. Ashraf al Arabi, the Minister of Planning, said, "In five years fuel will be offered at 80 per cent of its real cost to sections of the population which are deemed to need subsidies, the rest will pay market prices."

To prepare Egyptian people for this price shock, last month Sisi made clear that Egyptians have to bear the brunt of his economic policies and must learn to sacrifice. To make the brutal nature of the economic measures palatable to the people Sisi pledged a 50% cut in his salary.  He said, "There must be real sacrifices from every Egyptian man and woman. I take the maximum salary of 42,000 pounds ($5,900)... I will give up half for the sake of our country."

So after Sisi spent last year witnessing the imprisonment, rape of chaste women, torture, and the callous slaughter of ordinary Egyptians, Sisi is now determined to rob Egyptians of their wealth and deprive them of their livelihood. Everyone knows that by raising the price of fuel, the prices of basic goods and services will escalate significantly. The Head of Egypt's Consumer Protection Association, Zeinab Awadallah, said that the decision will lead to at least a 200% increase in prices of almost all other basic commodities.  The government on the other hand is not only indifferent to the plight of the Egyptian people, but in the view of the Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb the non-implementation of the subsidy cutting measures as a crime.

In a country, where unemployment is 13.6% and the poverty rate is 26.3% by conservative estimates, is it not a crime for Mubarak and his family to keep $70bn they stole from the people, while people are punished through excessive prices hikes? Is it not a crime for Sisi to mock the Egyptian people by cutting his salary, while 70% of the population lives off rationing cards?  Was it not a crime to sell gas to the Jewish state at preferential rates, and now the people have to pay more to use their gas?

The people of Egypt must take a stand against the thug Sisi and his henchmen who are determined to steal their wealth to pay for the lavish life-style of their close friend Mubarak and also to enrich themselves. Sisi and his predecessors have destroyed the huge economic potential that Allah (swt) endowed Egypt and made its people miserable through the implementation of economic policies dictated by the IMF. And things are bound to get much worse, as Sisi has appointed Tony Blair the butcher of Muslims and the magnet for corruption as his economic advisor. Allah (swt) says:

((أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ كُفْرًا وَأَحَلُّوا قَوْمَهُمْ دَارَ الْبَوَارِ))

"Have you not seen those who have changed the Blessings of Allah into disbelief and caused their people to dwell in an abode of destruction?" [Surah Ibraheem: 28]

Already there are signs that Egyptians are fed up of Sisi and are thinking about a third revolution. Kamal El Shazli, a bus driver working in eastern Cairo captures the mood. He said. "We were told that everything will prosper once Sisi gets elected, and now we see this [hike] in his first few weeks as a president; He [Sisi] is accelerating [mobilization] for a third revolution."

But for the third revolution to work, it must centre on a clear vision for the complete implementation of Shariah through the re-establishment of the rightly guided Caliphate. Anything short of Islam and Egyptians will again find themselves living under the rule of another tyrant much worse than Sisi.

((إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الْإِسْلَامُ... ))

"Truly, the (recognized) religion in the sight of Allah is Islam." [Surah Al-Imran: 19]

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by

Abu Hashim