Our simple needs

---

A comprehensive ministerial change is on the way, one that will go beyond simply shuffling ministerial portfolios. Expectations embrace a complete makeover of policies and faces, of all posts across all state institutions. Egypt is at the threshold of a new era, an era that cannot be pre-judged until seen and lived through.

Economic performance is a top priority in the new era, perhaps more so than political conditions. It is the economy that affects the life of ordinary people. The Egyptian economic situation is in need of profound reconsideration. We don't have to retract the steps already taken or abrogate principles that have taken root. But we need to address distortions and redress excesses. We have to give priority to stabilising prices and strike with an iron fist at corruption. We need to raise wages in a way that guarantees a decent life for all, and enhances the sense of belonging. It is simply fair to give people their rights, just as we ask them to meet their obligations. We need to launch new projects and attract investment while maintaining social justice in all its aspects.

We need to breathe life into political freedoms, release political detainees, remove restrictions on the publishing of papers and the formation of parties, and end censorship in all its forms. We need to abrogate emergency laws and all extraordinary and freedom- restricting decrees. A new spirit with concrete policies should derive its force from Egypt's historical and cultural value. We need the right people in the right places for the right tasks. Binding, freedom-enhancing frameworks should protect civil society and human rights. We should restructure institutions to ensure their independence; for example, the Higher Press Council and the Radio and Television Union.

A clear foreign policy is imperative, one with clearly defined Arab, African and international dimensions. This policy can be stated in a manifesto of principles accessible to ordinary citizens as well as the international community. Everyone should know that Egypt's interests and national security, at home and abroad, have redlines over which no one should tread. Those who want a strategic dialogue or partnership with us must not disregard these lines.

Key government officials, especially ministers, should be politicians not simply bureaucrats or technicians. Past decades show that technocrats, for all their specialised knowledge, may not be effective in key government posts -- for these call for political understanding and vision. "Intellectual" prowess, not "technocratic" credentials, should be our measure of aptitude.

Above all, we need change that fulfils the potential of ordinary people -- the majority, not just a privileged class. Such would be the meaning in Egypt of progress.