Have mercy Mujica…

The leftist president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, has introduced an unusual proposal for this day and age, likening him to the Islamic caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz.  Mujica tops the list of the poorest rulers in the world. He earns a monthly salary of $12500, but he donates 90 percent of it to social services, so only $1250 remains for him. He owns a very modest home and a Vokswagen car of a value that does not exceed $2000. Mujica did not think about adopting austerity to support the budget our way (the Arab way), and did not think to use the electric saving lamps in institutions. He did not go the parliament to obtain popular coverage for decisions of price raising, and did not eat from people’s livelihoods. He did not raise fuel or electricity prices, but took the poor to his house. He did not threaten to raise prices once more if the Arab subsidy was not provided. Because Tarawneh is not Mujica, the former raised the taxes on cigars and alcohol, while the latter invited the poor to the hospitality palace as he knows well that he deals with humans who love life. Nothing has been left for the government except to raise bread prices. Till now it did not mention the topic, although the previous government, despite the Arab subsidy being at its peak, threatened to raise the prices of bread and cooking gas, which was complete disregard for the feelings of the citizens, who know well that the state deficit, but know better that their personal budgets are suffering too much and cannot afford any more pressure. The flesh of the state, whatever happens, is stronger than the bones of the citizen, while the situation has caused the ordinary citizen to tighten his belt more than one can bear. The government should not be dragged to new confrontations because of decisions that are inappropriate in timing, circumstances, or the logic they will defend. The amounts the government is talking about saving through lifting subsidy do not commensurate with the political cost it will pay due to expected yet unpredictable protests. Mujica did not think the way Tarawneh thought last Friday when he assigned a security team to determine the number of the participants in the protests in the kingdom's provinces and found out that they did not exceed 995 people. However, he did not reveal the financial cost he needed, or the number of hours the security men wasted reaching this great achievement.  If the government and its agencies do not read the changes that happened to the popular movement and its transmission to other areas, then it is a disaster, and if they kept depending on their previous readings of the movement's level and strength, then the disaster is greater.