Ops pyramid

The first flight to bring back our students studying in Egypt, arrived at KLIA yesterday and was received by the Prime Minister, no less. There are still many more of our students housed temporarily at the transit point of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, not to mention those who are still trapped in Cairo.

Even since the start of the public demonstrations in Cairo more than a week ago, the government has made a commendable effort in trying to ensure the safety of our students over there and putting up an evacuation mission. The sheer number of our student population in Egypt made the operations a tough one indeed. Without doubt, it needed careful planning and coordination. Despite the effort, there have been many voices of discontent, especially in the earlier part of the crisis, when many people said that our government was slow to react. Even sadder is the claim that there are parties politicising the issue... either claiming credit for the success of the evacuation or complaining of the inefficiency of the whole operations. I have nothing but the feeling of despise for such people who cannot see through their shallow self-interests. I do not have any children or relatives studying in Egypt and so cannot claim to feel the same level of anxiety as many of my friends who do. But I do believe we have responsible leaders in our country who will definitely do their best when the lives of Malaysian citizens are at stake.

The situation in Cairo has somewhat stabilised and this has prompted some students to decline the offer to be flown home, especially those final year students about to take their exams this month. Yesterday's status update from my former teacher presently in Cairo, mentions that many shops are open again and peace is slowly returning to the city. I hope and pray that the Egyptian people find a peaceful solution to their problems and no more lives are lost. It would be very sad to see their country go into further turmoil because generally Egyptians are very nice people.

I have been to Egypt twice before but those were business trips. There wasn't much chance to do the touristy things like visit the pyramids or browse the museums... but my host over there did treat me to a wonderful dinner aboard a restaurant-boat that floats on the Nile. My Egyptian host is a very gracious and friendly man. He made my stay very comfortable and his hospitality was genuine. I would feel hard-pressed to extend him the same level of kindness should he be able to visit Kuala Lumpur... but of course I'll try my best. He sends me text greetings every year during Eid. When the demonstrations in Cairo reached its peak a few days ago, I sent him a text message enquiring about his situation but to date have yet to receive a reply.

To my good friend from Al-Masr, Mr Mohamed Diab... I hope you and your family are safe and coping well through these hard times. May Allah swt shower you with protection.