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Al-Ahram Weekly 7 - 13 October 1999 Issue No. 450 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 7 - 13 October 1999 Issue No. 450
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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After taking the constitutional oath, Mubarak is cheered by members of the People's Assembly
Stepping into the third millennium
By Gamal Essam El-Din
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Interview Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Winning a massive victory in last week's nationwide referendum, President Hosni Mubarak was sworn in on Tuesday before a plenary session of the People's Assembly, launching the start of a new six-year term.
"I swear by Almighty God to sincerely preserve the republican regime, respect the constitution and the law, look after the people's interests fully and preserve the independence of the homeland and its territorial integrity," Mubarak said.
A 21-gun salute signalled the start of the president's fourth term in office.
The ceremony began with Mubarak arriving at 11.30am at the premises of the People's Assembly where he was welcomed by Assembly Speaker Fathi Sorour while a band played the national anthem. Mubarak then shook hands with top officials, led by Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri, who was replaced hours later by Atef Ebeid.
Mubarak then entered the Assembly hall at exactly 12 noon where he received a standing ovation by deputies and guests. Sorour read out a report by Interior Minister Habib El-Adli on the results of the 26 September referendum in which Mubarak won by a 93.7 per cent majority. The president then stepped up to the podium to take the constitutional oath.
Sorour then made a brief speech, declaring that the people's vote for Mubarak reflected their will to continue along the road of development and democracy and to respect the constitution and the law.
Mubarak then delivered a 35-minute speech in which he expressed hope that the new term "would reinforce the concept of the state of institutions politically, administratively and socially because it guarantees the largest scope of collective participation and entails objectivity in forging policies and taking decisions. It is also the method which ensures the continuity and stability of public action."
Mubarak offered thanks to voters who endorsed his nomination. "Thanks go to those who went out, motivated by love, loyalty and pride, to affirm their right to [political] participation and their keenness on performing their national duty and supporting an ambitious programme which is primarily aimed at making Egypt part of the advanced world. I vow to be a president for all Egyptians, to take care of the homeland's interests and seek advice and help because Egypt is a homeland for all. There will be no distinction between supporters and opponents because all are patriotic Egyptians although they may have different approaches for realising national interests. This is the essence of a democratic choice which we are determined to respect and promote," he said.
Mubarak said he felt optimistic because the beginning of the new term coincided with the anniversary of the victorious 1973 October War. "This victory has taught us that the realisation of great objectives requires sincere faith, brave decisions, accurate planning and alert initiatives," Mubarak said.
He paid special tribute to former President Anwar El-Sadat "who set the biggest example of bravery and daring."
President Mubarak taking the oath on Tuesday in an extradorindary parliamentary session; meeting with members of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces; asking Ebeid to form a new government
Mubarak then unveiled his programme of national action for his fourth term. He said the people had said "yes" in the referendum not just for the man himself, but primarily for the programme which he had presented for the upcoming stage. "The most distinctive characteristic of this stage is that it coincides with the start of a new millennium in which the world will enter a new era characterised by an unprecedented accelerated pace of scientific achievements and technological applications. It also witnesses a greater role for information technology which is having a decisive impact on all aspects of human activities," Mubarak said. Another feature of this era is the emergence of giant global economic mergers and international institutions whose role goes beyond the boundaries of nations, he pointed out.
Accordingly, Mubarak said, Egypt does not have the luxury of being isolated from these major developments. "We can neither accept the marginalisation of our interests nor endanger future opportunities, especially since we have numerous advantages which qualify us to be a part of this progress," he said.
Mubarak said his five-point programme "is the cornerstone of a futuristic insight into the choices Egypt has at the threshold of the third millennium." The first point is to combine the efforts of the state and society's institutions with those of individual citizens "because unless the efforts of these three partners in development are integrated into one plan, it will be difficult to achieve complete success," he said. "The state's task is to create a favourable climate, draw up sound policies and set the right priorities. It is also to protect by the force of law the balance of interests of all of society's factions and ensure that the returns of development are fairly distributed among all citizens. The state should always be ready to intervene at the right moment to maintain social stability."
Mubarak said the task of society's institutions -- political parties, syndicates, unions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) -- is to enlarge the scope of [political] participation and maintain a balance between their objectives and national interests so that they may not become a tool in the hands of foreign forces. As for the role of individual citizens, Mubarak said it is to respect the law and be keen on performing national duties.
Moving to the second point, Mubarak said "great hopes are attached to the role of youths in the new stage. "While young people should always keep abreast of the latest technological developments, the state is determined to raise the efficiency of the educational system to cope with the age of rapid information flow. Without this, we will pay a dear price and will have limited abilities to be competitive on the global market," Mubarak said.
Concerning the third point, Mubarak said "the programme of national action should aim at raising the competitive edge of national production institutions so as to enlarge Egypt's share of the volume of world trade."
The fourth point is a national plan for a "comprehensive technological renaissance," he said. "This plan is aimed at turning Egypt into a producer of advanced technology components and involving it, more and more, in the information industry. This new industry has fully revolutionised the criteria of quantity and quality and realised a great boom for the incomes of several countries due to its high added value (to the economy)," Mubarak said. He vowed to personally follow up on the progress being made in the implementation of this vital plan. "While the state's institutions and the private sector will cooperate in carrying out this project, a national campaign will be launched to wipe out technological illiteracy, expand the use of computers in schools, universities, institutions, government agencies and NGOs and upgrade the technical skills of Egyptian labour," he said.
Coming to the last point, Mubarak said the new programme of national action will put the social dimension on the top of its list of priorities. "It is the state's responsibility, and this is the cornerstone of the legality of the government regime, to maintain social stability and look after the interests of under-privileged classes. This social responsibility was the reason behind our insistence that the economic reform programme be implemented gradually. Social responsibility will remain one of our main concerns in the future so that the social safety net may cover all citizens," he said.
Mubarak concluded by emphasising that the new programme of national action "requires a change in working methods as well as a change of some officials in order to inject new blood" into public institutions.
