I lived, experienced, and witnessed crucial moments of transformation that were communicated to me only through my testimony.
Regin: Industry that doesn't face up doesn't deserve support
Regin argued that any industry incapable of facing foreign competition did not deserve protection. From that moment on, America began to dismantle the illusion and embrace true capability.
Rebuilding traditional industries
She quietly rearranged her inner house, choosing what was fit to stay and letting what could not walk alone fall without noise. From that rational cruelty new industries were born and traditional industries such as automobiles were rebuilt to be more efficient, innovative and competitive.
Egypt at the moment of choice
Today, Egypt faces two choices: continue to support defenseless industries that burden the citizen, or have the courage to define true national industry – those that serve the citizen before asking him to sacrifice.
Real national industry
It is not the ones that raise the flag or write in the data, but the ones that ease the burden on the citizen, add real value, and create jobs that are competitive internally and externally.
Tourism: the beating heart of the economy
Tourism is not a side activity; it is a whole industry in which no one competes with us. Our footprints are not duplicated, our location is not duplicated, and our climate is not bought. It is a clean industry that provides hard currency without draining our resources.
Agriculture: food security and strategic wealth
Agriculture is not a burden, but a life and food security guarantee. The experience of thousands of years makes the land and the peasant my companion. While less experienced countries have turned it into an economic weapon, we neglect it in Egypt despite its importance.
Free Trade: The Secret of Egypt’s Power
Freedom of exchange has always been the secret of Egypt’s strength, not its weakness. We restrict trade and stifle transit, forgetting that freedom of movement is what has made Egypt the coveted empires throughout history.
If the ton of Egyptian iron after the subsidy costs more than the imported iron, do we support the industry or support its loss?
Which industries deserve protection?
If the ton of Egyptian iron after the subsidy costs more than imported iron, do we support the industry or support its loss at the expense of the citizen? An industry worth supporting is one that adds real value and creates sustainable jobs and competitiveness.
Choosing Industries: Courage, Not Burden
Picking industries that can stand without a permanent crutch is brave. Letting go of what doesn't work is not betrayal, it's saving the country.
Nationalism is an act, not a slogan.
The homeland is not built with big slogans but with hard choices that hurt us today to save our children tomorrow. Real national industry begins with the human being – the educated mind, the trained hand, the healthy human being – tourism and agriculture as a foundation that cannot be imported. With this vision, patriotism becomes a reality, not a slogan, and Egypt becomes a country that knows how to protect itself, its citizens and its future.
Saad Amer
Egyptian writer based in the United States
