 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 23 - 29 September 1999 Issue No. 448 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 23 - 29 September 1999 Issue No. 448
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Comment Focus Special Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Anticipating political reform
By Shaden Shehab and Mona El-NahhasPolitical parties expect or, at the very least, wish, that President Hosni Mubarak would usher in political and constitutional reforms after he takes the constitutional oath early next month to begin a fourth term. Their hopes or expectations appear to have some basis. In a speech to university students in Alexandria three weeks ago, President Mubarak himself spoke extensively of the need for reform.
"We will not hesitate in the coming stage to carry out the necessary changes and reforms that will enrich the process of people's participation in public life, provided this is done in a way that will not harm the nation's supreme interest at this critical stage of our modern history," the president said.
Opposition parties hope that, as the nation stands at the threshold of a new century, President Mubarak will remove the constraints imposed on political activity. They also wish for the abolition of the state of emergency, imposed in 1981, as well as freedom-restricting laws. Other demands include the amendment of the constitution, free and fair parliamentary elections and freedom to establish political parties.
Ibrahim El-Nemeiki, a member of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and deputy chairman of parliament's legislative committee, said that he expects "President Mubarak to introduce extensive political reform in preparation for the third millennium". Such reforms, he said, are expected to promote freedoms, while balancing rights with responsibilities.
El-Nemeiki said that during Mubarak's fourth term, "the people will reap the fruits of economic reform, namely an income increase without an increase in burdens."
El-Nemeiki also expressed hope that special attention be given to technology in all aspects of life, adding that "the world is in a technological race, and Egypt should not lag behind."
Moreover, he said he also hopes that "some negative aspects in our society will be addressed". For example, he suggested moving the nation's capital from Cairo, "which has become too overcrowded", to another city. El-Nemeiki added that "solutions should also be worked out to the problems of pollution and garbage accumulation in some areas". "We live in a secure environment, but there are some factors which make our life unpleasant," he said.
Said Abdel-Khaleq, co-editor of the Wafd daily newspaper, mouthpiece of the Wafd Party, expects political reform, but not on a wide scale. He hopes that he will be "proven wrong, and that reform will cover a wide scope".
Abdel-Khaleq hopes for "a complete cabinet change, and not simply a cabinet reshuffle". The aim, he said, would be "to introduce new blood which would lead to the introduction of new strategies and programmes as we approach the third millennium."
Abdel-Khaleq also has hopes for "parliamentary elections that are clean and free, reflecting the true wishes of the nation". But he said that as long as the NDP controls the elections, "this will be very difficult to achieve".
He said that "the emergency law should be abolished and the executive, legislative, and judicial authorities must stem from the people."
Abdel-Khaleq also said that the "constitution must be amended in order for it to gain credibility and respect". He explained that the constitution is based on socialism, under which the multi-party system is not allowed and the public sector is in control. But the political and economic systems have been changed now and, therefore, these contradictions must be removed.
Rifaat El-Said, secretary-general of the leftist Tagammu Party, also stressed the importance of change in Mubarak's new term. For the Tagammu Party, El-Said said, the word "change" is not limited to state officials. It should mean a complete overhaul of policies.
"Of course, we have corrupt officials who should be dismissed from their posts; yet the problem is much deeper," he added. El-Said argued that constitutional reform is necessary to widen the narrow margin of freedom and democracy. "For example, the process of choosing the president should take the form of contestable elections, instead of a referendum," he said. Moreover, "there should be more than one candidate competing for the post of president," he added.
El-Said believes that Mubarak's new term should "mark the end of all freedom-restricting laws, such as the press law, laws regulating the appointment of mayors and deans of university faculties, and the emergency law."
He hopes that Mubarak's fourth term would witness "free elections". Accordingly, he calls for revising voters' lists to remove the names of the dead and emigrants.
El-Said calls for a more balanced economic policy, "by means of which both the rich and the poor should bear the burden of development, instead of throwing it all on the shoulders of the poor." He notes that "the rich, in many cases, are exempt from taxation under the pretext of encouraging investment. And, therefore, the poor pay the price."
Adel Hussein, secretary-general of the Islamist-oriented Labour Party, agreed with El-Said and Abdel-Khaleq that the emergency law should be abolished, adding that "an end should be put to the harassment of opposition parties, and the repeated rigging of parliamentary elections."
Hussein hopes that during Mubarak's new term, "there will be a revival of our religious and moral values, which can only be achieved by showing commitment to the principles of Islamic law."
Diaaeddin Dawoud, leader of the Nasserist Party, said that "our [party's] primary demand or expectation is the enactment of a new electoral law that guarantees that parliamentary elections are not rigged."
Dawoud said that "a new political parties law should also be enacted to ensure the free establishment of parties and their right to free financing and organising public rallies. At present, political parties have the sole freedom of publishing newspapers. This is our only outlet, and this is ridiculous."
Dawoud agreed that "the constitution should be amended to deal with the new political realities".
Ragab Helal Hemeida, secretary-general of the Liberal Party, affirmed his party's demand for reform in Mubarak's new term. "We hope that the president would relinquish the leadership of the National Democratic Party, because this distinguishes it from the other political parties, giving it greater power," Hemeida said. "We also hope that political parties enjoy freedom in exercising political activities."
According to Hemeida, the committee responsible for licensing new parties should be dissolved because it stands as an obstacle in the way of party establishment. It should be left for the people to decide whether to accept or reject the new parties, he argued.
"In the new term, political detainees who were arrested on suspicion should be freed," Hemeida said.
Hemeida urges solutions to the chronic problem of unemployment, which, he says, afflicts more than three million graduates.
Hemeida, in tandem with the others, said that there is a pressing necessity for amending the constitution. "It is unreasonable to be ruled by a constitution, the majority of whose articles are based on socialism, when we have shifted to a free market economy," he said.
Maamoun El-Hodeibi, spokesman for the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, said that it is essential that the emergency law, in force for the past 18 years, be abolished. He argued that "tragic incidents, such as terrorism, took place while the emergency law was in effect. Its only outcome is freezing political activity."
