If you happen to glance at the local news in Egypt of late, one particular story has been unavoidable, serving as the nexus for much local anger and debate. No, I’m not referring to the constitution, though that debate is still going on, to be sure.
With almost no preludes, the Egyptian government surprised everyone by suddenly announcing a decision several weeks ago to shortly begin implementing mandatory shop-closing hours across the nation. The law-to-be (which could be passed instead as some form of administrative decision to avoid politically implicating President Morsi, who currently wields legislative powers) was due to close shops, cafes and restaurants between 10 p.m. and midnight, while establishments with a touristic license would get exemptions. The stated rationale was that this could save around 6 billion Egyptian pounds ($1 billion) in public spending, while cutting down on electricity consumption, as the country was still reeling from a significant power-outage problem over the summer. However, it appears at least half the population angrily opposes the law, including pretty much the entire political opposition.