Practical manifestos
The National Democratic Party's announcement early in the parliamentary elections campaign of a general manifesto was a welcome move. In previous elections candidates have campaigned on narrow agendas, addressing only local issues and counting on family connections and name recognition to win votes. The electorate has a right to expect more from parliamentary candidates. Addressing local concerns should go hand in hand with a national agenda.
On the face of it the NDP programme appeared comprehensive. It dealt with domestic as well as foreign issues, economic as well as social and political questions. The NDP has made four promises: that it will create new jobs, enhance living conditions, boost freedom and democracy and keep the country strong and safe.
The timetable, though, remained vague, with the NDP giving itself six years to make good its promises. This is a curious choice given the parliamentary term is five years. It is the presidential term that is six years. That the NDP appears to have confused the two gives rise to concern.
Another concern is that the NDP, despite citing a great many figures, does not cost its proposals. We know the number of new jobs it intends to create. We know it will seek to encourage the provision of small loans, and support new factories, business and tourism. We know it wants billions to be invested in small- and medium-sized projects. What we do not know is how all of this will be financed.
The NDP has said it intends to encourage private business to help in meeting many of the goals it has set itself. "The private sector will build schools and rent them to the government," says the manifesto. New universities are apparently to be encouraged to sign twinning agreements with foreign institutions, it adds. All of which sounds fine. The problem is that it may prove over- optimistic. The provision of education, housing and transport -- indeed, the overall directing of development -- are in essence the responsibility of the government, not the business community. We need programmes that can be implemented, not ones that sound great, and this applies to the NDP as much as to other parties.
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/768/ed.htm