Electoral Bribery: “Not Enough”

Statement by the Revolutionary Socialists

Just days before the referendum organized by the dictatorial regime to keep Sisi in power until 2034 and strengthen the military’s role in governance, Sisi surprised everyone by raising the salaries of about six million government employees.

Despite being marginal and quickly losing its impact due to ongoing price hikes and the upcoming steps to lift subsidies, this increase is unprecedented in the era of a dictator who rules with an iron fist.
What prompted the regime to take this step? What does it signify, and what should be done?
Sisi, who is fiercely fighting to pass the constitutional amendments and often asks, “Where will I get it from?” understands the widespread discontent among millions of wage earners over his policies that favor military generals and top businessmen.

Furthermore, the blatant nature of the amendments, tailored to fit the dictator, has caused more and more segments to grumble and complain, even among forces previously aligned with the regime.
In addition, the emergence of a coalition of civil and democratic forces opposing the constitutional amendments, despite the imposed siege on them and the arrest of several of their leaders, even with their limited political ceiling.

Several resistance hotspots remain active. Leading the charge are the residents of Warraq Island, who have been fighting the army and police’s efforts to displace them for two years. Additionally, there has been a resurgence of partial but repeated strikes at the Mahalla Spinning and Weaving Company, along with demonstrations that erupted after the train disaster in several governorates for the first time.
The widespread reactions sympathetic to the “Rest Assured, You Are Not Alone” campaign organized by Islamists have alarmed the regime’s media.

This local political environment and developments in Algeria and Sudan prompted Sisi, for the first time three months ago, to request a delay in implementing some of the commitments he signed with the International Monetary Fund.

The regime is making a superficial retreat for offering a bribe to the masses, throwing scraps by raising the minimum wage to 2000 pounds and reverting to the social bargaining policies common during Mubarak’s era with public sector workers by disbursing annual bonuses. Politicians used to call these bonuses “political profits” because they did not reflect economic activity but aimed to buy workers’ loyalty and ease social conflict.

The revolutionaries now face several tasks:
First, expose the fragility of these measures and educate the masses about their limits and implications.
Second, call on wage earners in the business, private, and investment sectors, who were excluded from the decision, to organize a campaign for wage increases under the slogan “Not Enough.” If Mahalla workers demanded a minimum wage of 1200 pounds in 2008, the minimum wage that suits today’s prices and inflation rates since then should be no less than 5000 pounds.
Third, continue the campaign against the constitutional amendments.
Fourth, widely promote alternative policies based on planning, market oversight, the return of subsidies, and demand progressive taxes and taxes on capital gains in the stock market.