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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 A minor quake
By Salah Montasser *
After lengthy consultations on the cabinet reshuffle carried out by Atef Ebeid, the result came as an anticlimax. The public had been holding its collective breath in anticipation for five long days. Coincidentally, the first cabinet meeting coincided with an earthquake that registered 5.2 on the Richter scale. While the tremor had no devastating effect, many Egyptians associated it with the reshuffle.
We are used to the names of candidates for the new cabinet being announced immediately after the resignation of the old cabinet, so the delay gave the false impression that a comprehensive change could be expected, and that none of the veteran ministers would remain. In addition, the president had suggested that the change would be substantial.
With the exception of a few observers, who were aware of Kamal El-Ganzouri's tendency to centralise all decision-making (which affected his relationship with the press and with members of the People's Assembly), most Egyptians were shocked to see him go. El-Ganzouri's problems became insurmountable, however, when he failed to manage the dollar crisis. The actions taken by Talaat Hammad, the minister for cabinet affairs, also gave rise to complaints by a large number of ministers. As a result, Prime Minister Ebeid decided to cancel the post altogether.
Changing all the old ministers would have done more harm than good. Now, we have a cabinet with a mission that was clearly spelled out by the president at its first meeting. The president pledged to meet with the cabinet every two months, and follow its progress in economic (privatisation and export promotion), human resource (education and technology) and social development (especially the mega-projects and the employment opportunities they represent). If the plan succeeds, this cabinet will be worthy of leading the nation into the 21st century.
* This week's Soapbox speaker is a veteran Al-Ahram columnist.
