Gasoline cuts 25 piasters ridicule Egyptian activists

Abdulrahman Mohammed

The Egyptian government's decision to reduce the sale price of petrol products raised 25 piasters per liter (about 1.5 cents), a state of ridicule on social networking sites, in light of the growing discontent in the Egyptian street of the worsening economic situation, and burdened Egyptians with the rise in prices of major commodities during the past months.

The Committee on the automatic pricing of petroleum products in Egypt, and to review and determine the prices on a quarterly basis, decided on Thursday to reduce the sale price of petrol products of all three types in the local market 25 piasters per liter.

Despite the irony of the decision, activists questioned the Egyptian government's announcement that it came within the framework of the automatic pricing mechanism for petroleum products, arguing that the Egyptian regime would not have taken a decision to reduce a previously approved increase, albeit to a limited extent, only under pressure. Is the first of its kind.

Against the background of the decision and its repercussions, the # "Gasoline" tag issued the social networking site Twitter in Egypt, where it included the interactions of Egyptians regarding the decision and their different opinions about it, most of which came in the context of ridicule and lack of decision and its impact on Egyptians.

Activists said that this and other decisions, such as retreating from the reduction of beneficiaries of ration cards, is only an "attempt to bribe the Egyptians", and pushed them to tolerate corruption, and prevent the rise of anger, in a way that may spiral out of control and threaten the continuation of the existing regime.

The widespread mockery of the decision did not prevent a number of participants from being optimistic about the issuance of other resolutions to ease some of the burdens accumulated on the Egyptians, and linked a number of these decisions to the movement witnessed in the Egyptian street during the past days.

In this context, activists thanked and thanked the actor and contractor Mohamed Ali, who called for the departure of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, against the backdrop of corruption manifestations revealed by him and his family, considering what the Egyptian regime as a result of the pressure of the street, which responded to Mohamed Ali's calls.

On the other hand, a number of supporters of the regime celebrated the decision, as it was a reflection of the officials' sense of the needs of the Egyptian people, and others were keen to assert that it came within a normal framework, and was not the result of pressure or fear of the development of the existing scene.