CAIRO: With an announced strike, Sunday morning began as a somewhat slower day in Cairo. On Saturday government news sources warned citizens of participating in protests citing heavy penalties. Small squads of state security lined the streets near Tahrir Square. A sense of hesitation was in the air as well as a khamseen sand storm that certainly added to reducing the numbers of pedestrians on Cairo’s streets. Yet, in different neighborhoods around Cairo, most shops opened as usual. Daily News Egypt spoke to several Cairenes to hear their reaction to the strike and protests expected for the day.
Ali Salman, Bulaa Al-Dakrur, newspaper salesmanAl-Ahram newspaper says that some prices have decreased by 20 percent. The strike is good if it has a positive effect. It is like a candle, it can either light up a room or else it can start a fire and burn down a building. One needs to be careful. If I knew that such protests would do something I would close up my stand today and join them. Never mind the rich shop owners; with strikes the workers are the ones that have the most to lose. So really, we don’t have an option but silence. If you can find anyone laughing on the streets I will give you LE 10. Someone who is 50 looks like he is 80, inflation is so difficult to deal with. If your relative dies it makes you sad, but life goes on. But with inflation it is much more difficult because it stays with you daily, it does not go away. Egypt is like one body, all its limbs are hurting and in pain. I wish Egypt would return to what it used to be. I want to live normally.
Miral Mohamed, Nasr City, American University in Cairo studentThe strike is useless because even if they do strike, then what? The government knows why they are striking. This won’t have an effect on government policies. I don’t think the people can change anything. Plus, it’s not just in Egypt that things are getting more expensive, prices are increasing around the world. Two of my classes were cancelled at AUC Sunday because of a strike that is not happening. We asked for the classes to be canceled because we thought there would be a strike and protest. I was surprised that there was no strike, the way they put it, we thought it would be huge.
Om Mahmoud, Bulaa Al-Dakrur, shopkeeperThe strike is happening because of inflation and because wages are insufficient. I have five children, four of them are in school and in the past I used to buy milk for them, now I am not able to do so. I can’t feed them properly. I wasn’t able to participate in the strike because if I didn’t open [the shop] I wouldn’t be able to provide for my children today, but honestly I support it. My husband works in the mosque and gets LE 200 a month. I work here to supplement his income. Our family is quite big, my mother lives with us and my husband also has two other children. If all those who speak on our behalf in the parliament and journalists can’t do anything, then what can we do? We live in one valley and they government lives in another valley completely! I don’t think the strike will do anything, we hope something will change, but I don’t expect it to.
Alaa, Giza, McDonald’s delivery manAll the people can keep talking about strikes. We heard that no one was going to go to work Sunday so that prices stop going up and for a minimum wage to be put in place. For 10 years now I have been trying to get married and I can’t. We want to eat, why don’t they raise prices of electric appliances and other goods, they have to raise prices of food. Why the food? When Ayman Nour spoke out he was arrested. Yesterday, political parties were participating and supporting the strike, today none of them are and the Muslim Brotherhood is participating only “in spirit according to Al-Masry Al-Youm! The people speak and the government does what it wants to do. I don’t expect anything to happen and even if it does prices will remain the same or rise even higher. The man on top, doesn’t he already know what is happening? If he had wanted to change something, he would have already done so.
Abd Al-mawla Azim Mohamed, Bab Al-Luq, security guardI support the strike because we want wages to be increased and prices of goods are too high. I believe it will bring change for sure because the message will reach the people in charge and they will have to raise our wages. I work for a security company and I expect that this will catch their attention and they will increase my income. I have nine members in my household and get a monthly income of LE 300. For two months I have not eaten meat, how much does meat cost now? Everything is more expensive, bread used to be 5 piasters, now it’s 25 piasters and we can’t find it anywhere. A strike is the only way to reach those who are responsible because they don’t listen to any one. I am hopeful, if God wills it, April 6 is an important day!ul, if God wills it, today is an important day!
