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Al-Ahram Weekly 23 - 29 September 1999 Issue No. 448 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 23 - 29 September 1999 Issue No. 448
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Comment Focus Special Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Saying yes to progress
The majority of Egyptians are expected to turn out on Sunday to send a clear message of support to President Hosni Mubarak, approving his re-election for a new term in a nationwide referendum. Since he took office in 1981, the Egyptian leader has repeatedly declared that maintaining stability and implementing economic reform are his main targets. Today, 18 years after he acceded to the presidency, it is clear that he has accomplished these goals. The economy is sound, and terrorism is no longer a grave threat to the security situation.
Many difficult tasks lie ahead, however, and Egyptians have every hope that the president will continue to build on his many previous achievements, drawing both on his experience and on the possibility for further change that reforms have bred.
Parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of next year, are expected to reflect popular desire for change and genuine democracy. Egyptians also expect more press freedom, with safeguards to protect journalists and to guarantee both objectivity and the right to privacy.
Millions of young graduates also hope they will be able to harvest the benefits of the difficult process of economic reform by finding more jobs that can fulfill their creative aspirations and their determination to participate in the process of building a modern Egypt.
Women, who make up 50 per cent of the country's population, also expect that their representation in key government and public posts will match their contribution to the country's economic development. Egyptians also anticipate major improvements in education, health and housing.
In foreign policy, the man who fought bravely in war to restore Egypt's occupied land has proved the same efficiency in making peace. Mubarak has vowed to continue supporting legitimate Arab rights and searching for a just, comprehensive peace. This will not take place without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital, and Israel's full withdrawal from the Golan Heights and south Lebanon.
For all these reasons, the majority of Egyptians have placed their confidence in Mubarak, in the hope that the achievements of the past two decades are simply an indication of an even brighter future.
