Al Bawaba, 2/10/2015

Now that we have seen how the world came round to our side after a period of indifference and maneuvers, it remains for us to address a very pressing issue, our social and economic situation. Let me tell you that our society lacks the spirit of cooperation and collaborative productive work. It also lacks discipline in many things, from the traffic to the garbage collection, another sad story. This feature has rendered Egypt’s image very different from what it was years ago. He who ventures out to walk in the streets and squares of Cairo nowadays, especially in public areas, will be shocked by the current level of chaos. Egyptians have lost a sense of urgency when it comes to cleanliness, forgotten how important this is, how we used to learn that “cleanliness is an article of faith”.

And how can we reconcile ourselves with the phenomenon of sexual harassment? It is an act that disturbs and invades the dignity of all women, young and old. Confronting it requires a firm hand by law enforcement officers, and rigorous deterrence.

We want our society to cooperate in matters related to law abidance. There should be a general consent among citizens to respect the law, to make it an integral part of our social conduct. It should be seen as a form of constitutional obligation, a morality that we must adhere to. Disobeying the law is a pitfall that allows chaos to seep into our lives.

translated from Al Bawaba