Egypt’s leaders in waiting

Plenty of people are waiting for a chance to replace Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak - whether now or in September - and while each has their weaknesses, most are probably a better bet than the now illegitimate and atrophied leader, writes Matthew Gray. Egyptians are renowned for having a strong and cutting sense of humour - perhaps a comic approach to life is an essential tool for surviving in a country with so much promise but so many constraints - but one joke stands out. Varieties of it exist across the Arab world - it's a good joke, after all ' but one of the versions in Egypt is especially fitting for that country right now, and encapsulates why Egyptians are marching in the streets demanding their president's political scalp: The president feels under pressure, and decides to hire a new Minister for Transparency. He calls for interested people to come and see him. The first applicant, a career bureaucrat, comes along. 'OK,' says Mubarak, 'I'll test you with a question. What does two plus two equal?? Being a bureaucrat, the applicant takes the cowardly course: 'Well,' he says, 'rather than me answer you now, let me set up an interdepartmental committee to look at all the possibilities, so as to make an informed choice and to report in five months as to'? The president cuts him off: 'Get out of my sight! There's no way I am appointing you to the job, you fool!? The second applicant comes in; a businessman, perhaps slightly tarnished by corruption, but a smart guy with an American MBA and a successful chain of business ventures to his credit.