Mubarak to new local councils: no deviation from democracy and reform
Egypt, Politics, 4/17/2002

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak addressed a message to chairmen and members of Local Councils who were elected recently in which he said that Egypt is determined to go ahead with the process of political and democratic reform.

President Mubarak congratulated all elected members of local councils on the confidence placed in them by the people of Egypt.

The President said: The free elections affirmed and supported the freedom of opinion and our trend to support political reform and democracy adopted by Egypt as a political approach and goal from which we shall not deviate.

The field was open before all parties and groups in Egypt-- majority, minority and independent -- to practice their rights to contest the elections under judicial supervision so as to provide all guarantees to the freedom of expression.

We have given great attention to people's local councils and their constructive cooperation with executive bodies because they are a mainstay in deepening democracy and supporting the interest of the people in development and building.

You shoulder a great responsibility in front of your nation and your constituencies that gave you their confidence.

We should all strive to realise their hopes through efforts and your loyalty to your nation and your respect to the Constitution.

The Local Council elections, which took place at this crucial time and developments which had their impact on the internal and external levels, showed our insistence to ahead with the process of political and democratic reform whatever the challenges, because this is the mainstay of continuing development, building and supporting the issues the nation facing.

The strenuous efforts which we are exerting in Egypt to stop the acts of aggression to which our brotherly people of Palestine are being subjected to and which aim at blocking their legitimate aspirations to set up an independent Palestinian state with AL Quds Al Sherif as its capital, should not divert our attention from going ahead with the march of political and democratic.

We have to work together to support Egypt's pioneering role at the international and regional levels so that Egypt may continue to shoulder its regional and international responsibilities.s

This is the framework through which we uphold the gains and the achievements of the people and not to allow anyone -- whoever he is-- to block these gains or undermine, as a result of misunderstanding or a wrong move, any achievement.

I am confident that through your meetings with men and women of your constituencies, you will assert, with your awareness and farsightedness, the role which will provide for us a strong and optimistic present and a secure and stable future.

So that this overall vision may be compatible with the your aspired role in the present stage, we should give attention to number of main issues which will be greatly influential in realizing the prosperity and welfare sought by the Egyptian people in this stage, mainly:

-To open the doors before youth at all positions in the villages and districts of Egypt so that everyone may take his position and assume his role in training and rehabilitation to occupy positions and leading posts.

- To make youth aware that work in any profession or craft is an honour and that dealing with the problem of unemployment is not the responsibility of the government alone but a collective responsibility.

-Illiteracy is a national problem in the first place, which should be tackled because it is a main obstacle in the way of every effort for development.

Non-Governmental Organizations should cooperate in dealing with this issue in coordination and cooperation with national bodies or through state organizations to wipe out illiteracy .

-It is necessary to tackle, with firmness, the terrible population explosion which weakens development efforts,squanders energies particularly .

This calls for raising the awareness of the masses to make them aware of this serious problem and to intensify efforts of the government and its agencies to reduce the rate population growth.

-Women are main partners in society. They should play their role in modernization of Egypt through giving them a far' space to assume political posts inside parties and parliamentary life and supporting their participation in economic and development activity.

There is no doubt that the creation of the National Council for women and the National Council of Childhood and Motherhood and the fact that increasing numbers have succeeded in winning the membership of the People's Assembly and Shura Council as well as the current local people's councils, at all level maximizes the role of women in civic society side by side with men.

* There is no doubt that small industry, if properly looked after and if provided with all means of technical and technological support, are considered the best form of investing the energies of youth in production activities which contribute to the development and encouragement of individual initiatives and eliminates many harmful practices, notably the trend to look for government jobs,the number of which has shrunk to a great extent.

The trend is to increase loans advanced to youth to give them the chance to move towards small industries to become one of the means of realizing sustained development.

-Local councils should play a role in encouraging small industries in coordination and cooperation with executive and local bodies to provide job opportunities as one of the main axes to deal with the issue of unemployment.

Sixth: People's participation and activation of the role of the civic society.

- Efforts should continue to maximize the role of people's participation in realizing the goals of overall development particularly in the field of the expansion and administration of services in a modern and enlightened manner away from bureaucratic complications.

-- We have to provide the proper climate and open a wide field before investments and to encourage investors to set up projects in local councils and to open the horizons of investment and to provide facilities to investors and remove obstacles facing the execution of projects and market products in order to create new and proper job opportunities for youth.

-At the same time, to continue to encourage investment industrial zones and to open the horizons of marketing by arranging central and regional fairs and to continue our national plan which aims at upgrading Egyptian industries.

-- To return to the image of the model and productive village by developing and improving life in villages through expansion of popular loans so that villages may become productive to increase the resources of the family through the participation of all members of the family and so that all forces of society become productive.

I ask you all to give the example in democratic free action away from party affiliation. Contribute to the renaissance of Egypt. Maintain national unity and uphold national security and realize the aspirations of your people to prosperity and stability.

Previous Stories:
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  All NGO's unjustly tarred with the same brush   (6/2/2001)
  Mubarak calls Islamic World for cultral awakening   (6/2/2001)
  Egypt views constructive opposition parties as healthy, Urgent measures for reactivating Economy   (9/5/2000)
  The people ,source of all legitimate powers   (7/17/2000)
  Egypt: 18 years under the reign of Mubarak   (9/24/1999)

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