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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 November 1999 Issue No. 456 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 November 1999 Issue No. 456
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Special Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Outlining a new agenda
By Gamal Essam El-DinIn his keynote speech on Saturday to a joint session of the People's Assembly and Shura Council, President Hosni Mubarak addressed a wide array of domestic and regional issues, ranging from next year's parliamentary elections to the latest developments in Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations.
In domestic terms, President Mubarak promised that "next year's parliamentary elections will be clean, marked with integrity and held under full judicial supervision in all stages".
"However, if we are all keen to ensure that the next elections will be marked with integrity and freedom, then all parties and individuals participating in the election process should avoid undemocratic practices as well as practices that are detrimental to political action or that mar the reputation of an institution [the People's Assembly] whose image and role we all should keep intact."
The president asserted his belief that the opposition was an integral part of the political system and the democratic framework. "I'm not talking about an opposition which exists just in form," he said, "but about an opposition that exists in reality because the emergence of a real opposition prompts the ruling party to become more active and better dedicated to the interests of the people. We are not expropriating the quest of the opposition for a more balanced representation and nothing bars us from investigating the most suitable ways to realise this. The opposition, however, has to begin this process by reforming its own conditions, to become more democratic and more expressive of the interests of the masses."
The president also affirmed that democracy flourishes by enhancing the rights of free expression, wide-scale participation and sound representation.
"Egypt has taken important strides in this connection with... political and economic reform proceeding in earnest," Mubarak said. He added that different forms of press ownership have been introduced. "In the past [ownership of newspapers] was confined to the national and party press but now we have for the first time in 40 years an independent press ownership."
The president revealed that he had asked Prime Minister Atef Ebeid's cabinet to work out the details of a comprehensive programme of action for the upcoming period. The priorities of this programme, Mubarak said, are topped by keeping and accelerating high rates of growth and development and ensuring that the returns of development are fairly distributed among all classes. This programme, he added, should be governed by three basic principles: continuing along the road of economic reform through achieving a qualitative growth in exports, underlining the importance of the social dimension and the interests of those on limited-incomes, and promoting democracy by enhancing participation.
Mubarak emphasised that the coming period "requires us to be alert to two important things, the first...[involves] streamlining Egyptian industry and raising the competitiveness of domestic products on world markets. The second is that we have to boost the volume of our exports on world markets because this is now a matter of life and death. In this respect, I urge the Assembly, in its present session, to pass all the legislation necessary for removing obstacles to the flow of exports."
Addressing technological issues, Mubarak said the national committee for technological development has been established under the leadership of the president himself to prepare a national plan for technological development. This committee, he added, will meet in the next few weeks to review its programme of action.
Moving to social issues, Mubarak said that he had asked the government to continue implementation of the national programme of social reform. One step in this direction, he added, will be the National Conference on Social Development. "This conference will aim primarily at preparing an integrated vision for solving Egypt's social problems," he said. He urged the Assembly to extend a helping hand by revamping legislation dealing with health and social insurance.
On regional issues, Mubarak said the peace process should be based on ending Israeli occupation of Arab land, including all Palestinian territories and the Golan Heights, and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. "As for full withdrawal from southern Lebanon, it should be made in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 425. All unilateral and illegitimate measures that threaten the peace process, especially settlement-building activities and the expropriation of Arab lands, should be avoided," he said.
The priorities set by President Mubarak in his speech were the subject of an emergency cabinet meeting which he chaired on Saturday. Primarily focusing on economic issues, Mubarak instructed the cabinet to forge new policies to cover the existing gap between exports and imports and reduce the trade deficit. More specifically, he urged the cabinet to concentrate on boosting the volume of exports, especially agricultural, industrial goods and oil products, and to ensure greater competitiveness in world markets. The cabinet, he added, should do its best to phase out all obstacles that stand in the way of doubling exports.
In financial terms, Mubarak emphasised that one of the principal priorities for the cabinet in the next period is to secure stability on the foreign exchange market and bring internal and external debt under control. The cabinet, he added, should also map out new liberal policies, with the objective of attracting greater international investments and enhancing the potential of local products to compete on global markets.
Government agencies were instructed to curb public spending and keep the budget deficit within acceptable levels. Elaborating, Mubarak said that spending on investment projects should be kept within budgetary allocations with priority given to projects with high added value and those dedicated to improving the living conditions of ordinary citizens. Public money, he insisted, must be directed to buying domestic products in order to encourage local industries improve their production and generate employment opportunities. Mubarak also said that complete transparency must pertain in the distribution of land among investors, the filling of vacant posts in government agencies and the allocation of housing.
Mubarak emphasised that there is a pressing need to forge close cooperation between the cabinet, on one hand, and the People's Assembly and Shura Council on the other.
According to Information Minister Safwat El-Sherif, the president intends to hold periodical meetings with cabinet ministers to discuss and follow up on the detailed programmes and plans necessary to secure a concrete improvement in living standards. El-Sherif indicated that the president will give cabinet ministers a few weeks to crystallize the necessary plans and draw up timetables for implementation.
