Does the prevention of "Cache" limit government corruption in Egypt?

Abdel Rahman Mohamed - Cairo

Three weeks after the start of the implementation of electronic system to pay and collect government dues early this month in Egypt, until the proliferation of amendments and exceptions and monitor the problems that continue to talk about the operation of technical support teams to resolve.

The broad celebration and the preaching of a major breakthrough in order to transform into a digital society that is less dependent on money, financial comprehension and the objectives of the vision of Egypt 2030 - which preceded this implementation - is not commensurate with observers with the emergence of exceptions and problems dealt with by local media.

The Ministry of Finance announced earlier this month to apply the collection of government financial dues over five hundred pounds (thirty dollars) electronically, using bank cards or prepaid or credit cards or through the Internet, while the payment of more than ten thousand pounds ($ 590) Through different banks.

To this end, the Ministry has provided a six-month free "Karuta", effective May 1, through banks, most notably Ahli, Egypt, Cairo, Egypt and Egypt, to be used as electronic means of payment.

However, following the problems and obstacles to this application, the Egyptian government has been forced to announce the availability of cash payment again, if electronic payment can not be made to the various parties for any reason, the most important of which is the lack of readiness of the electronic collection points, the failure of the machine, the performance.

Deputy Minister of Finance for Financial Policy Ahmed Kajuk said in his statements against the background of these repercussions that amendments and exceptions and the emergence of problems in implementation is normal, as it is known that any new system will show some difficulties once it starts to be implemented but is being treated as a sustainable system. .

Negative Exceptions
While the head of the mechanization unit at the Ministry of Finance Mohamed Ibrahim confirmed that electronic payment would eliminate corruption and gratuity and prevent friction between the employee and the citizen, the decisions of exceptions are contrary to this, which included, for example, the payment of immediate traffic fines and the decisions of the Public Prosecution.

Ibrahim believes that these measures will benefit the state by achieving the goal of speeding the revenue collection, raising the efficiency of the performance and implementation of the public budget by linking the government and banking sector electronically, improving the processes of public debt management, and integrating the informal economy into the official.

In his turn, the Undersecretary of the Economic Committee in the House of Representatives Amr Al-Gohari that one of the objectives of this system to pay citizens and companies to establish a bank account through which the transfers and deposits required for non-cash payment, which increases the resources of banks.

Which is considered by Karim Abdullah (a construction worker) as "troublesome and burdensome" as he is not good at dealing with the Internet, as well as dealing with prepaid machines or bank machines that he has never dealt with in any way, In which it is necessary to create a bank account.

While Salem Abu Rahma (bidder) fears that the adoption of this system will lead to the dismissal of him and many of his fellow workers, who are working in the collection of dues to the state, as there will be no need to do what they do.

In any case, the professor of economics at the Academy of Auckland, American Mustafa Shaheen is a positive step in favor of citizens, even if it was flawed or had the objectives of opportunistic urgency by the existing authorities in Egypt.

Shaheen points out that the emerging countries seek to limit direct cash transactions because of their disadvantages, and believes that the circulation and stability of electronic payment will contribute to facilitating transactions and reducing administrative corruption.

Other purposes
At the same time, however, he believes that the regime is also aiming at controlling some of the Egyptians' money by forcing them to put their savings in the banks, and thus easy to follow up and monitor and exploit this in different ways.

This follow-up is considered by the economist Abdul Nabi Abdul Muttalib as legitimate. The knowledge of entering and sources of citizens' funds is important to the state. In his opinion, this is a legitimate endeavor that must be encouraged, in order to contribute to uncovering the movement of illegal funds.

Abd al-Muttalib said in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net that this step is demanded by experts for a long time, not in reducing the direct meeting between the service provider and demanding clear interests, stressing that relying on transactions electronically will reduce corruption and nepotism and contribute to development.

In the opinion of Abdul Muttalib that the circulation of the electronic payment system for financial transactions, whether through the collection or payment of receivables, will greatly reduce the administrative corruption, and the use of influence to gain financial gains are illegal.

However, economic journalist Amr Khalifa said that the "cash" payments in Egypt were not the main reason for the spread of corruption and bribes within the government apparatus of the state, and therefore does not count on the adoption of electronic payment system.

Khalifa said in his speech to Al Jazeera Net that the rush to implement this mechanism without the necessary preparation, plays a role in the growing problems resulting from that, pointing out that the number of direct dealers with banks in Egypt do not exceed 15%, and the culture of electronic trading is largely absent.

He pointed out that the majority of the current employees in the administrative apparatus of the state are not proficient in dealing with the Internet, and many areas of the Republic are far from covering the Internet service, considering the failure of the test of the first grade secondary through the "tablature", heralding the same result in this system.