21 - 27 December 2000
Issue No.513
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 21 - 27 December 2000 Issue No.513 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Full steam ahead
By Ibrahim Nafie
Last Sunday President Hosni Mubarak addressed the joint houses of parliament, inaugurating the People's Assembly's eighth term, the fifth since he came to power in 1981.
The composition of the assembly he addressed is indicative of the great progress democratic transformation achieved during Mubarak's terms as president, the recent landmark elections, conducted under full judicial supervision and an unprecedented climate of political openness having ensured that it is representative of the full spectrum of political opinion in Egypt,
To contemplate democracy as it stands today, certainly when compared to the early eighties, is to realise the enormous boost that has been given, not only to political party plurality but also to the institutions of civil society and the principle of freedom of opinion and expression.
As a result the new People's Assembly and Shura Council stand at an extremely crucial juncture. The third millennium into which we have just embarked imposes a range of new and formidable challenges, bringing to the fore a host of vital issues that will constitute the immediate agenda for our legislative bodies. Foremost among these are political and democratic reform, economic reform, social development and the many cultural concerns that are intimately linked to the impact of globalisation.
President Mubarak's speech before this assembly was highly significant, not least because it comprised a new charter for national action. It addressed the most important domestic and foreign policy issues with a clarity and detail that steers the way towards effective planning, highlights the opportunities and challenges ahead and reflects the depth and accuracy of our leadership's perception of the nature of the demands our nation faces.
Heading the priorities outlined by President Mubarak is technological development. In this era of the information technology revolution the progress of national economies is gauged by the extent to which they rely on modern technology.
Technological prowess requires developing the necessary cadres, and in this context the president addressed the questions of youth, education and housing. Continuing to provide high-quality education for all and to enhance teachers' abilities to perform this vital task must assume top priority, Mubarak stressed. Simultaneously, he urged the passage of the proposed law for mortgage financing so as to make appropriate housing available to all citizens, and particularly newlyweds. More generally, he expressed his deep faith in the role youth can play in the development of the nation. Towards encouraging this role, he urged generating more opportunities for young adults to share in the responsibilities of government by working to equip the young and innovative with the necessary talents to participate in the administration of all government, political party and community agencies.
Turning to the economy, the president emphasised three fundamental concerns: creating jobs, developing export trade and administrative reform. In this crucial phase in our economic reform programme it is vital to absorb new entries to the job market. Towards this end the president asked the government to present a detailed export development programme by the end of the first quarter of 2001.
No less urgent is the task of streamlining our sluggish bureaucracy in such a way that will enable us to more effectively translate the progressive rise in per capita income over the past few years into cheaper services for the public.
Mubarak also addressed many important political issues, prime among which was the government's commitment to the gradual expansion of democratic practice. Political reform, the president stressed, is integral to the economic and social dimensions of development. Of fundamental importance in this regard, he said, is the need to promote the notion of institutionalised government, for only through sturdy institutions of government, as separate from the individuals holding positions of power, will we be able to safeguard ourselves from the vicissitudes of personal whim and ensure the vitality and efficacy of the executive.
Simultaneously, if the recent elections affirmed that political plurality in Egypt is healthier than ever, they also demonstrated that our political parties are desperately lacking in grassroots support. President Mubarak did not exclude a single party in his appeal to them to undertake a thorough introspection of their internal structures, levels of performance and modes of interacting with the general public.
Before turning to foreign policy issues the president stressed two important principles. Firstly, he said, social development is a comprehensive process that extends beyond issues of adequate housing and education to developing the capacities of every individual to contribute to the process of development. In short, he reasserted his belief that people are at once the object of development and the key to achieving it. Secondly, on the issue of national security, the president insisted that peace does not mean slackening our vigilance and that the army must be fully equipped to perform, at any time, its mission of protecting the country.
The question of peace in the Middle East in light of recent developments in the region naturally looms high on our foreign policy agenda and, in this regard, Mubarak emphasised Egypt's on-going commitment to the principles of international legitimacy. Egypt has a long record of contributing to the peace process and it is determined to continue its efforts towards reaching a settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions.
Another issue of concern is the need to promote inter-Arab relations and towards this end the president stressed the importance of promoting the Arab Common Market as a tangible channel of cooperation that might furnish impetus to the hopes of Arab unity while at the same time keeping the region up with the contemporary global trend towards ever larger economic blocs.
The People's Assembly now has before it a detailed charter for national action. And we have every confidence that our newly elected parliament will rise to the task of helping bring national ambitions to fruition.
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