 |
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 5 - 11 October 2000 Issue No. 502 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
|
||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 5 - 11 October 2000 Issue No. 502
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
|
||
Egypt Elections Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Naguib Mahfouz, MP
Were I to be elected as a member of the People's Assembly, I would consider every problem my own. For the parliamentary representative has an obligation towards not only his electorate but the people as a whole. This, I suppose, is what people mean when they say the personal is political. I believe the opposite is also true: political representatives must take matters that concern the nation generally as involving them personally if they are to be effective.
Personally I would read the Letters section of Al-Ahram newspaper, which I consider an accurate mirror of the people's day-to-day troubles and pains, as well as a forum for commenting on everyday affairs. In a country where the press has a long tradition of reflecting the point of view of the ruling apparatus, rather than that of the people, I feel the letters amount to a daily register of grievances ultimately indispensable to any competent member of parliament.
Next, I would analyse the letters carefully, and pose my questions on the basis of what they say, considering not only my constituency, but the people as a whole. This would be my way of taking the pulse of the nation on a daily basis, which I consider to be the MP's primary task.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
