Cairo -
Before the month of Ramadan, more than one Egyptian official - led by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi - spoke about the difficult conditions that Egypt is experiencing as a result of the negative repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war on the global economy. ".
Al-Sisi also criticized Western demands more than once to improve human rights conditions in Egypt, stressing that the priority is to improve the difficult economic conditions of the Egyptians, especially since he as a representative of the government does not find enough to educate, treat, or even feed Egyptians.
Those angry vocabulary that Sisi spoke about the Egyptian situation, and his repeated talk about the poverty that Egypt is experiencing, were translated differently or rather oppositely during the huge advertising campaigns carried out by some government agencies and institutions since the beginning of Ramadan, including the Egyptian Post Authority, Telecom Egypt and a bank Governmental Egypt and Cairo.
While these institutions say that the advertising budget is not exaggerated and that it achieves an economic return;
On the other hand, critics say that these advertisements represent a waste of public money, as well as a provocation to the feelings of the vast majority of Egyptians who suffer from successive economic crises.
anger and ridicule
The news circulating about the cost of advertising campaigns for government institutions is causing a state of controversy mixed with sarcasm and anger among social media activists, especially with government institutions using celebrities from the Egyptian artistic community, who are known to charge millions of pounds for advertising appearances.
Tweeters circulated unofficial information that the famous Egyptian singer Amr Diab obtained approximately 16 million pounds (the dollar equals 18.44 pounds) in exchange for his appearance in the Egyptian Post advertisement, and other similar information that the actress Yasmine Abdel Aziz received millions of pounds in exchange for appearing in an advertisement. Telecom Egypt, co-starring with another actor, Karim Mahmoud Abdel Aziz.
Activists on networking sites asked: "How can a country borrow billions, and its government and president talk about destitution and poverty, and then spend millions on government institutions' advertisements?"
Others mocked the poor services provided by Egypt Post and Telecom Egypt, the lack of seats for customers in a large number of the Postal Authority's branches, and the long-term downtime of the operating system.
The pioneers of the communication sites accused the head of the Postal Authority of wasting public money, and spending millions of pounds on an advertisement that would not benefit the citizen, noting that it was the first and most appropriate that those funds - which approached 20 million pounds - be spent on developing the headquarters of the Egyptian Post.
The Egyptian Post announcement is a model of foolish spending, millions are wasted without justification or account.
What is the expected return?
— ahmed ezzarab (@aezzarab25) April 5, 2022
Is this Egyptian Post in its branches in the first place to make an advertisement in which Amr Diab answers?
— Hypochondria° (@maha_aziz__) April 9, 2022
This is Professor Sherif Farouk, head of the Postal Authority, who paid 15 million pounds to Amr Diab, the value of the advertisement
. The Egyptian Post advertisement for Amr Diab is one of the examples of corruption and mismanagement of resources in the country.
The living example of wasting public money at the time of the country, in the presentation of every penny.
— 🅾️🅾️🅾️⚫Ⓜ️Ⓜ️🅰️ (@Amrmaroo90) April 10, 2022
What is the meaning of Amr Diab's announcement?
The meaning is clear that a captain or a pirate in the mail divided millions with him.
This is understandable. I ask what is the relationship of running to the mail
. It means that the answer of my beloved will arrive quickly,
but the postmates complained much better.
Who ran Amr
pray for the messenger
#Abu History
- Dr .
Mohammed Al-Jawadi (@GwadyM) April 7, 2022
On the other hand, others defended these ads, and some of them saw that the Postal Authority achieves profits exceeding 3 billion pounds annually, and that it wants to tell the masses that the Egyptian Post has developed a lot and has modern and very important services.
Some of them felt that there is no better or more popular than Amr Diab to present an advertisement for the Egyptian Post.
I have to do a huge campaign to let people talk about me, not about my services. No, I want everyone to talk about Egyptian Post only... Ok, Naguib remains one of the highest stars in Egypt, one who has continued with many generations and is still complementary and competing, and of course Amr Diab will achieve this completely....2
— Amr (@Amrnabil83) April 9, 2022
I am very impressed with the lyrics of the Egyptian Postal advertisement song, which is trying to deliver it to someone who wants to succeed
. “Your persistence is the secret.”
The main reason for the increase in the announcement is that there are people who are suspicious of any need to be affiliated with the government!
— sahar (@Egypty2015) April 4, 2022
On the occasion of the Egyptian Post’s announcement, we have been at work since Corona hour, and I followed the paper correspondence by mail.. in the first we were sent through private companies, and after that we were sent by the Egyptian Post, which was cheaper and faster 👍👍
— 🇪🇬ghada 🇪🇬 (@drghada111) April 4, 2022
Parliamentary anger and demands for accountability
The state of anger and ridicule did not stop at the activists of the virtual world only, as the anger was transmitted to the Egyptian Parliament, and Member of Parliament Hani Khader submitted a request for a briefing to the President of the Council, accusing the Postal Authority of wasting public money.
The deputy said during the briefing request that after seeing the advertisement, which is supposed to be propaganda for the Egyptian Post, he discovered that it does not provide anything regarding the mail. After making this multimillion-pound advertisement?
In turn, Representative Mahmoud Qassem described the media statement that the Postal Authority published in various media about the post's achievements locally and regionally.
It was a failed attempt to cover up the waste of millions of pounds in the advertising campaign that it launched during the month of Ramadan.
Qassem demanded - in a briefing request submitted to the Speaker of the House of Representatives to direct him to the Minister of Communications Amr Talaat - the necessity of eliminating all problems and crises within the Postal Authority, foremost of which is the elimination of the phenomenon of overcrowding of citizens, especially elderly pensioners inside and in front of post offices to pay their pensions.
He also demanded the Minister of Communications to provide him with all the sums spent by the Postal Authority in its advertising campaigns and the revenue from these advertisements, especially since the Postal Authority does not need these advertisements to promote its services, calling for accountability and prosecution of the leaders and officials of the Postal Authority for wasting those funds.
Deputy Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly also called for issuing immediate decisions to establish a number of post offices in all villages, while opening the door for appointment for new graduates, especially with a large deficit in the number of post offices at the level of the Republic.
Amr Diab and took 15 million pounds to make the Egyptian postal advertisement 📦✉️ Well , by
God Almighty, this is a waste of public money, they used to spend this amount on the mail better than advertisements that are not necessary!!!!
pic.twitter.com/yaRTamV88R
— 🇪🇬ᎡᎯ ᎠᏔᎯ𓂀 (@radwa_rody88) April 9, 2022
Do not go crazy in this whole story. It is not a waste of public money because we are used to it in every need in a country
that has wasted and looted money. Do not go crazy that the Egyptian Post has no competitor in the first place
, so you do an advertisement and it costs millions, why!!?
pic.twitter.com/fvfHouHzDO
— Sahar Mahmoud (@Sahar_Eldeeb) April 7, 2022
Donate to the Long Live Egypt Fund
In this context, the journalist specializing in economic affairs, Imad Siddiq, believes that any company or authority in the government sector - such as the postal sector - does not need advertising, because most people are obliged to deal with it, whether to obtain pensions or deposit money through the savings vessel known as "books". thrift.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Siddiq added that in the event of advertisements or advertisements, they must be within reason, and be calculated accurately so as not to provoke the Egyptian citizen.
The Egyptian media called the singer Amr Diab to donate his wages from this announcement to the "Long Live Egypt" fund, which was officially launched by Sisi in 2015 to receive the contributions of Egyptians at home and abroad in favor of spending on the most needy groups in the country, and contributing to the development of society, he said.