Issue No. 604
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19 - 25 September 2002 Issue No. 604 Home news |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Only a beginning
President Hosni Mubarak said the resolutions adopted by the eighth NDP congress only marked the beginning of a new era in which considerable work is required, reports Khaled Dawoud
In a lengthy speech marking the end of the eighth congress of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) on Tuesday, President Hosni Mubarak praised the thousands of delegates who took part in the gathering's discussions, but noted that their efforts at the event were only a beginning.
Click to view captionPresident Mubarak salutes delegates; Mrs Suzanne Mubarak flanked by prominent party members, from left, Fathi Sorour, speaker of the People's Assembly; Mustafa Kamal Helmi Shura Council speaker; Maher Abaza, NDP member; Safwat El-Sherif, NDP secretary- general; Gamal Mubarak, NDP secretary of policies "The conclusion of our general congress is only the beginning of a new stage of serious action in order to implement the general principles we agreed on," Mubarak, also NDP chairman, told the more than 6,000 delegates who took part in the three-day congress. He also vowed to initiate "a national dialogue on all levels, taking place from the bottom to the top ranks", in order to implement the policies the delegates approved at their meeting. "We also have to start a comprehensive dialogue at the party level on many other issues of concern to the Egyptian people ahead of discussing them in our annual meeting to be held in September [2003]." While the NDP is to hold a congress every five years, it has also scheduled an annual meeting to review its performance during the previous year.
At the beginning of his one-hour-long speech, Mubarak reviewed the party's main achievements during the past two decades. He noted the strengthening of democratic reforms that allowed for the establishment of 17 parties, a growing role for parliament in issuing legislation and monitoring the government's performance and the priority granted to human development, "reflecting our serious concern for the well-being of the Egyptian citizen, which is the cornerstone to achieve development". Mubarak outlined several of the country's economic and social achievements during the past 20 years. These included improving infrastructure, the expansion and building of new cities, providing proper housing and expanding services in the fields of education and health. Major fiscal and economic reforms were also implemented, paving the way for the expansion of the private sector as well as helping to attract investment and encouraging privatisation.
"After all these achievements, we should pause in order to evaluate our performance and develop our ability to confront future challenges," Mubarak said. He added, "for this reason, the slogan we declared for the congress was 'new thinking', reflecting our commitment to develop our thinking and methods in a way that suits our country's internal and external needs particular to these times."
The president stated that the reform process was sparked by the NDP's results in the last parliamentary elections held in October 2000. "These elections revealed several negative phenomena that we had to study and learn lessons from. Therefore, the NDP established a committee to develop the party and study its performance in those elections, in order to make sure that it maintains its position as the party representing the majority."
Mubarak thanked party leaders who will step down from their positions following the congress. He also welcomed those who will be taking new roles, saying their "choice reflects the confidence they enjoy among party members".
At the opening of the congress on Sunday, Mubarak was re-elected as chairman for another five-years. He asked delegates in his opening remarks to consider their loyalty to the party a priority in order to strengthen democracy and pluralism in Egypt. Mubarak also praised the trend towards giving youth a larger role in running the party, saying this would allow for the combination of the experience of older members with the aspirations of the younger generations.
The president also reiterated the main pillars of the party's ideology, namely, a "commitment to the principle of setting on equal footing rights and duties without any sort of discrimination; maintaining a balance between individual rights and those of society; continuation of the democratic process by affirming respect for the constitution, rule of law and public freedoms; transparency, encouraging participation, freedom of the press and media; rejecting extremism and adopting a moderate approach in order to achieve the development we aspire to in the political, economic and social fields."
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