On Mubarak’s programme
With Egypt on the threshold
of presidential elections, electioneering has reached fever pitch. The media is brimming with
material on the different candidates, their political leanings, programmes and pledges. It
is time to take in, scrutinise and carefully asses the various candidates’ plans and
promises against our demands and aspirations, before heading to the polls on 7 September. We should
form a conscientious, weighted opinion without being misled by the mob spirit;
that is, if we are serious in our quest for real democracy.
Away from some of the
empty slogans used by President Hosni Mubarak’s supporters to applaud
him, one can safely say that
Mubarak’s programme does appear
to be by far the most well-researched and carefully-detailed of all the candidates’ programmes. It presents aspirations and targets which tackle
a wide angle of political, economic, and social vistas. As with all election programmes, it promises
a bright, flourishing and thriving future for
A look at President Mubarak’s programme reveals
that it focuses
primarily on the following:
• Free citizens within a democratic regime: The programme sponsored the move
towards democracy and reform. It
called for independence of the judiciary, freedom of expression, Constitutional
reform to achieve balance between the different
authorities in the State, fortifying party politics, empowering women, and invigorating
local government, in addition to expanding
Parliament’s authority in approving
the State budget. Placed on
hold however were the issues of reducing the security
apparatus’ sway, freedom of establishing political parties, empowerment of
Copts and youth, and decentralising
power by moving some of the president’s authorities to the governors and affording
more independence to the governorates regarding decisions on the economic front.
Conspicuously
absent from the programme were thorny issues of Constitutional reform such as fixed, limited presidential terms, annulment of the 50 per cent quota granted to workers and peasants in Parliament and legislative councils, and establishment of alternative quotas for women and youth.
As for the sensitive issue of affording
Parliament more authority
to approve the State
budget, it is—contrary to what I had assumed—an official admission
that this authority is now
limited. In this context, I demand that the budgetary
allowances for the presidency, defence ministry, interior ministry, and intelligence apparatus be publicised
precisely and transparently, since these items have always been kept in the dark.
• On the economy: President Mubarak’s
programme was very generous in its promises on job opportunities. During the coming six years—understandably the presidential term—the programme promised 600,000 opportunities in
individual projects, at some three
billion pounds investment. In small
and medium scale projects, the programme promised 900,000 job opportunities
at investments of LE60
billion over six years. Likewise, 1.5 million job opportunities
at six year investments of LE100 billion were
promised in the industrial sector; 420,000 job opportunities in the agricultural
sector through the reclamation of 2.6 million feddans of land; and 1.2 million opportunities in the tourist sector at LE48 million. The total investment required for these 4,620,000 opportunities amounts to an ambitious LE161 billion in six years.
Only a seasoned economist can figure out how this can be
achieved.
• On the social and services fronts: President
Mubarak’s programme offered an impressive plan to
revive the education, health, housing, transportation, water and sanitary
drainage sectors, promising
disciplined, professionally
ethical performance. It is a promise of the longed-for ‘good old times’ which
were lost following decades of
post-1952-Revolutionary thought, destruction of personal motivation, near-elimination
of the middle class, decline
of work as a value, and the discounting of citizenship rights. The good old
times however can only be
regained through battling corruption, reviving the values of equality and citizenship rights for all Egyptians, and upholding competence
and top performance as the
sole qualification for jobs, posts, and leadership. Mubarak’s programme tackled
none of that.
• On foreign policy: Mubarak’s programme stuck
to the traditional no-risk, no-debate issues, guaranteed to garner support on the Egyptian street.
The Palestinian issue was stressed, but without taking into account the
various parties concerned, especially
If President
Mubarak is elected to another term, he should
be held accountable
for any disregard of his explicit election programme.
In the same context, his attention should be drawn
to the issues which went un-mentioned in his programme or were placed on hold. These are precisely the issues that constitute our demands from the
forthcoming president. Analysis of the other candidates’ programmes should
place one in a position to make a responsible
choice of our next president. Even if any of us is in any way
dissatisfied with the elections, withdrawal is not an option, since it is
only through perseverance and political participation that we can attain
a better future.