The Corruption Within

I woke up and after a short while I was having my morning cup of tea while reading the newspaper. There was an article about how the new temporary government is going to give compensation to families of the martyrs of the Egyptian revolution; those heroes who gave their lives to the freedom of this country, who gave their lives in order for us to live in an Egypt free of corruption, and oppression. Those pure people who died in order for Egypt to live…. The article stated that their families will receive 50 thousand Egyptian pounds and a monthly payment of 1500 Egyptian pounds. “That’s good amount money” I thought to myself, but I don’t think it would compensate for their loss. What really would compensate for their losses is getting the people responsible for their death behind bars and eventually executed. Anyway, I finished my cup of tea and went to my work. I was going on sales visits in Asr Ainy Hospital (A well reputed Teaching Hospital in Cairo).

After a few visits I decided to go see where the people wounded from the revolution where being kept. I asked some of the young doctors and they showed me the way. I went into a hallway with lots of what seems to be patients’ wards. There was a horrible smell, mixed with the smell of blood. Suddenly there was a guy talking in a very aggressive, high tone. 

How Corruption is Built

This is a story a neighbor of mine told me while we were guarding the neighborhood, after the police disappeared mysteriously leaving us prey for criminals that were mysteriously let out of their prisons all around Egypt. This guy is an entrepreneur and he has his own company. He participated in the events of 25 Jan and 28 Jan, although he needs nothing more out of life, he was there purely because, as all of us Egyptians, he had a dream of a better Egypt. It’s a short story of how corruption is built into communities, and it’s a fictional story, but carries great meanings.

There was a guy working in a government position and he was suspected to be an agent working with a foreign government that doesn’t want Egypt to be a great country. The Egyptian Intelligence Agency was following him for years and didn’t find anything suspicious in his actions. The only suspicious thing was great amounts of money being transferred to his bank account. They didn’t know what was the thing he was doing in exchange for all this money and they kept on his tail to see if he’s doing anything that would jeopardize the safety of Egypt. At the end they decided to arrest him, interrogate him and get him to confess. After interrogation this was his confession:

“They told me to keep working for the government and they’ll get me promoted and when I choose employees to work with me, I would evaluate the applicants and choose the worst person for the Job. That’s all I had to do, in exchange for the money”

After reflecting on this story, I could say that ... Here in Egypt we have a great pool of brilliant talent and genius minds. Those great minds and brilliant talents usually leave the country, because they don’t get what they deserve. They are sometimes attacked, even if they offer their services for free. They don’t want us to be a great country. They want us, the youth of this country, to believe that we are worthless and useless and even if we are brilliant we won’t function in our beloved country, because of the corrupt systems built into it. That’s why we should say “No!” we can be, and we will be. We will not let you build corruption into this system anymore.

25 Jan had shown us all the greatness within the people of this country, and we will stop this corruption InShallah (If Allah may will)

Egyptian and always 100% Proud

Alaa El Deen Esmail Fahmy