Counter criticism

Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif gives a spirited defence of his government's performance. Gamal Essam El-Din reviews five years in power

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Nazif

After five years in office Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif issued a report last week underlining the achievements of his government. The performance of the government: 2004/2009, comprises two parts, the first focussing on the efforts of the Nazif government in improving economic and political climate, the second, subtitled "The most important 60 achievements in 60 months", focussing on the means by which the government has protected the most vulnerable from the vagaries of economic liberalisation and the global financial crises.

The report serves as a response to those critics and detractors who showered Nazif's government with abuse as it marked its fifth anniversary in office three weeks ago. Opposition parties then took Nazif to task for the widening gap between rich and poor, for a growing conflict of interest between business and politics, and for failing to halt the proliferation of corruption.

The latest round of the ruling National Democratic Party's (NDP) annual nationwide poll revealed that only 39 per cent of Egyptians trusted the government, while 24 per cent listed corruption as Egypt's most pressing political concern. When it came to the economy 51 per cent cited unemployment as their greatest worry, 27 per cent inflation, and 12 low incomes.

In his introduction to the report Nazif said that since President Hosni Mubarak appointed him a prime minister on 15 July 2004, his government had faced many challenges.

"We faced a dramatic rise in food prices on world markets, a global financial crisis, not to mention runaway population growth and increasing numbers falling beneath the poverty line," Nazif said.

According to Nazif, since 2004 his government has embarked on the most ambitious modernising programme Egypt has witnessed.

"We always said economic reform would lead to social reform. After five years of economic reform the government has lifted millions of Egyptians out of poverty, boosted their incomes and created many real jobs."

"Economic growth," boasts the first part of the report, "rose from just four per cent in 2004 to an unprecedented seven per cent over the next three years. Egypt was able to attract $13.2 billion of foreign direct investments in 2006, up from $3.9 billion in 2004."

In terms of social services, the report estimates that the Nazif government has spent LE30 billion on potable water and drainage projects. In addition, "the number of fixed line telephones climbed from a mere 1.5 million in September 2005 to 11.8 million in April 2009, while mobile phone clients boomed from less than 10 million in 2004 to 45.6 million by April 2009."

The report also underlined that the cost of subsidies had increased fivefold under Nazif's government, hitting LE97 billion in 2009.

"The number of citizens receiving subsidised products and with access to ration cards increased from 39.4 million in 2005 to 63.2 million in 2009," noted the report. "This expansion in ration card subsidies was the most important factor in containing the negative impact of high global food prices on Egypt."

The report defends the government's record on corruption. "The government took the initiative of forming a Transparency Committee, with the aim of fighting corruption in administrative and public sector organisations and strengthening the principle of accountability." It also revealed that the government is currently in the process of establishing an annual citizen index aimed at gauging public perceptions of corruption.

The report argues that Egypt has witnessed a remarkable level of political stability during the last five years. "The government fought terrorist crimes, stood up to Islamist militants trying to destabilise Egypt and struck hard at money laundering activities aimed at dismantling trust in national economy," the report said.

The report also stressed the government's commitment to human rights.

On the political front the report said the government was in favour of the NDP's amendment of 34 articles of the constitution in 2007, saying they "were aimed at supporting democratic and citizenship principles and keeping Egypt safe from becoming a religious state".

Gender equality was also cited as an achievement. Nazif, said the report, is proud that his government includes three female cabinet ministers, that in 2008 a woman was appointed as the president of an Egyptian university for the first time, Egypt now boasts 30 female judges and parliament has approved a legislative amendment aimed at reserving 64 People's Assembly seats for female candidates.

Despite the above achievements, the government has been subjected to a fresh round of criticism. In a meeting with young people in a Port Said summer camp, Nazif was involved in a verbal clash with an Alexandria University student, Abdullah Ahmed Bazzazo. Bazzazo interrupted Nazif, shouting that "corruption is everywhere and that young and poor people do not feel the fruits of the government's economic reforms and do not even feel that the country is theirs."

In response Nazif accused Bazzazo "of painting a black picture of Egypt".

"The government never protects the corrupt," he said, "and many people envy Egypt because its government has achieved high rates of economic growth and managed to weather the storm of the global financial and economic downturn."

Nazif told state TV programme Al-Beit Beitak that he was surprised that President Mubarak had appointed him as prime minister in 2004. He also said he had been given a free hand in selecting his cabinet with the exception of the interior, defence and foreign affairs portfolios.