 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 July 1999 Issue No. 436 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 July 1999 Issue No. 436
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Special Interview Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters What people think
My friends in Alexandria have nothing but praise for its governor, Abdel-Salam El-Mahgoub. I love Alexandria, and all my life I have spent the summer months there. I am well acquainted with what its people say about the governor: if their prayers for him were to be distributed among all the leaders of the world, they would amply suffice, in this world and the next. I believe the main qualities to which this man's success can be attributed are the following: good administration; loyal work; honesty; simplicity and first-hand experience of the people's everyday life.
Good administration has allowed him to achieve great things simply by being the governor. His devotion to his job has caused people to stand by him and believe in him. His probity has led people to donate money to his projects and participate in his efforts. His simplicity and lack of pretension have caused them to gather around him and consider him one of them. Alexandria's inhabitants are all his allies, working with him every step of the way, as if they were an extension of his office.
Abdel-Salam El-Mahgoub is living proof that these four qualities must be found in every governor -- in anyone, in fact, who occupies an important post in public life in this country. Every year, the accomplishments of every official should be revised; those in authority should try to find out what people really think. The governor's achievements have put public opinion in its rightful place: this is the secret of his success. I hope his experience will be repeated many times for, if people see that officials have good intentions, they can contribute an unimaginable amount.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
