Candidates show off

Caught the last few minutes of the 9 o'clock news on the state-controlled TV channel 1, to find a review of the compaigns of the Presidential candidates. Made sure it was really channel 1 before I sat down and watched the snippets of their speeches today.

Ayman Nour, more reasonable than the others in my view. Talking from Assiut, criticizing the lack of investment by the government in upper Egypt, proposing that graduates will get retraining based on the market needs. Says that they'll be giving out 150 pounds a month for the unemployed, which he admits will be spent in a few days, but will nourish the market!

Noaman Goma'a, from Helwan, already gives his speech as if he's a president! I feel he's already assuming the dictatorship role from now. Make me president and I'll be a better dictator than Hosni. All they showed of his speech was the part where he talked about the great achievements the Wafd party did some 60 years ago! Are you serious, do you think Egypt is the same, do you think Egyptians are the same. Some Egyptians are still nostalgic to that past apparently, but be real, you can't apply what's back then now and expect to be taken seriously. Yet, he is being taken seriously by many, 3agaby.

Osama Shaltout, from Kafr ElSheikh, kept talking about how he'll limit the presidency to one term only, being accountable after every three years, and how the president's powers will be limited so that he doesn't become a pharaoh. One of his slogans I read for him is that he'll be giving 100 pounds to each unemployed. I really don't get that concept. Isn't that the policy of the helpless who can't create a real economy, just give out charity to the people. What happened to creating competent human resources that fulfill the needs of the eonomy. Can't think of a worst thing to do than give people easy money from the government, unless the government is totally helpless. Can't he think of a social system and an economic structure that is abit more sophisticated than luring people by promising to give them money!

Regardless of what any of the candidates say however, its all talk, and Egyptians are excellent at talking, and at giving speeches, and at deluding something out of nothing. You listen to Mubarak himself, and he speaks as if we were living the past 24 years in heaven. Are you talking about us, about Egypt, are you serious?! He's so confident saying it I'm starting to believe it, and he's so sure he'll do even better in the next 6 years, I can't wait till I vote for him!

Talk all you want, I trust none of these guys. Once any of them get into power their inner pharaoh gets into them, and the surrounding power-hungry and chicken-hungry will start inflating his ego, raising him to an idol status, making him believe himself, and convincing all the rest that Egyptians can't be ruled except by a tyrant. I've seen it alot here, not just at the presidency.