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Al-Ahram Weekly 14 - 20 October 1999 Issue No. 451 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 14 - 20 October 1999 Issue No. 451
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Books Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Seasons of change
Two exceptional circumstances have accompanied the appointment of Atef Ebeid to his new post as prime minister. The first is the fact that this was not an ordinary change of cabinet, marked simply by the resignation of the old; the new cabinet assumes its functions in the wake of the referendum on a new presidential term -- a new phase in our modern history. This phase, President Mubarak has announced, will witness great change. The new cabinet, it may therefore be expected, is the embodiment of such change, and is qualified to carry us forward into the 21st century.
I agree with the president that the former cabinet deserves praise for its efforts; I also agree that the new cabinet will be a vehicle for the kind of change we need to feel in our everyday lives, not just the sort of change expressed in statistics and flow-charts.
The second exceptional circumstance is the anniversary of the 6 October victory -- as always, an opportunity to remember the contribution of President Sadat, whose work in both war and peace has meant so much. The new cabinet must remember this victory and live up to its promises, to the dignity it restored.
Today, human dignity has taken on new meanings: it also implies the right to a decent education, access to new technology, and ability to interact with the modern world. In other words, we have pinned great hopes on the ministerial change: we expect economic reform through the national mega-projects, scientific progress and democratic reform. I believe it is capable of meeting the challenge.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
