4 - 10 October 2001
Issue No.554
|
Al-Ahram Weekly Online 4 - 10 October 2001 Issue No.554 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Two decades on
Ibrahim Nafie takes stock of the achievements of Egypt's reform programme, and reviews its economic and social impacts
The programme of political and economic reform introduced by President Mubarak two decades ago began a period of comprehensive national revival and unprecedented social stability. It is a programme that differs markedly from its counterparts in other Third World countries.
The process of democratisation and economic deregulation in Egypt was very carefully staged, allowing the ground to be well-prepared for successive phases. Egypt thereby averted any serious disruption to social cohesiveness of the type experienced, for example, in Eastern European countries.
Egyptian planners carefully monitored the developmental experiences of other countries, examining every alternative that might be adapted to Egypt. Mubarak is determined that policies should be continually assessed and, should they prove to threaten social stability or be prejudicial to one segment of society, revised. The president's guiding principle is that reform should bring the greatest possible returns at the lowest possible social cost.
This entails, in particular, a constant vigilance towards the needs of the poor and those on limited incomes. Indeed, the president's directives to every prime minister over the past two decades have included the exhortation that all progress, whether in health, education or communications, must be measured in terms of the numbers of beneficiaries and the equal distribution of benefits.
Another constant in Egypt's reform philosophy is that the process should engage the broadest possible participation, a principle that has manifested itself in policies designed to safeguard civil liberties and to enhance the institutions and mechanisms for democratic interaction and decision-making.
Finally, an important overall objective of comprehensive reform has been to keep pace with global economic, technological and political developments, so as to ensure that Egypt interacts with the international community as a proactive partner and not a passive one.
Egypt's reform process has been a dynamic experience that has placed Egypt among the ranks of emerging nations. The progress we have achieved under Mubarak's leadership has been profuse and manifold. Consider, in the realm of expanding democratic freedoms, that we now have 16 political parties whereas in 1981 there were only six. These parties enjoy the freedom to exercise their political party activities, the right to publish their own newspapers, the unrestricted right to express their opinions and the right to participate in legislative elections.
President Mubarak has added his personal stamp to political plurality through his frequent meetings with political party leaders in order to acquaint himself with their views on crucial issues. These meetings epitomise the president's commitment to expanding the base of participation in the decision-making process which, he believes, must reflect all shades of political opinion in Egypt.
Towards broadening public participation, the president has also been keen to encourage organisations of civil society to play an increasingly active role in Egypt's revival. This policy is founded upon the conviction that the government's reform efforts must be complimented and supplemented by the coordinated efforts of civil society and the vast storehouse of expertise it possesses.
The cornerstone of Mubarak's project for Egypt's revival is education. The vital role the education system has to play in keeping Egypt abreast of global developments in the field of pedagogy, information systems and technology, cannot be overstressed.
Comprehensive educational reform, therefore, must target the four components of the educational process -- the curriculum, the school, the teacher and the student -- and it must endeavor to generate close organic links between the education system and society's needs and between the universities and research academies and development policies.
Egypt under Mubarak has realised extensive progress in economic reform, particularly in view of the challenges we have had to overcome and the fundamental changes that were needed. Perhaps the most salient traits of the past two decades of economic reform have been precision planning and the assiduous avoidance of uncalculated risk. This approach that gave birth to the strategy for making a transition from a centralised to a market economy and helped pinpoint the areas of legislation that would ensure this transition served the goals of comprehensive development.
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
Recommend this page