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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 September 1999 Issue No. 446 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 September 1999 Issue No. 446
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Focus Culture Features Books Special Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Meeting aspirations
Since first taking office in 1981, amid difficult political and economic circumstances, President Hosni Mubarak has spared no effort in preparing the country to meet the challenges posed by the unprecedented rate of change we are witnessing on the international level. He has successfully restored Egypt's pivotal role in Arab, African and international affairs in the knowledge that maintaining amicable international relations is an essential prerequisite for attracting investments and rebuilding the economy.In pursuing these goals, moreover, the president has always felt the need to remain close to the people of Egypt and to keep in touch with the hopes, and the fears, of the average man and woman. Hence the sense of shock that immediately followed the attack on the president during Monday's visit to Port Said.
The assailant approached the vehicle carrying the president, acting like thousands of others, but unlike them his aim was not to shake the president's hand, or even to register a complaint. His intention was to assault the president with a pocket knife. But President Mubarak -- a former military commander -- far from being shaken by the assault, remained calm and completed his schedule.
The president's visit to Port Said is part of the three-week campaign that will culminate in the nationwide referendum on 26 September to renew Mubarak's presidency for a fourth six-year term. The referendum is fully expected to reinforce the president's mandate to continue the policies that over 18 years have brought increasing stability to the nation, and to undertake the changes Mubarak recently enunciated when he spoke to university students.
Tackling unemployment is likely to be top of the presidential agenda, along with improvement in health care provision and education. In several recent speeches, the president has stressed that now that the difficult process of reforming the national economy is well underway it is time to turn attention to improving the over-all standard of living. People aspire, too, to greater democracy, and a more open system that allows the younger generations room to express themselves freely and participate in the process of building and developing the nation. Creating such space is one of the most difficult challenges ahead. It comes to look less difficult, though, in the light of President Mubarak's long experience and the gains already achieved.
