CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak stressed the importance of achieving “social justice and securing a better life for the lower-income bracket in his keynote speech at the parliament’s inauguration Wednesday.
Maintaining the current economic growth, sustaining investment and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) levels should create the foundation for the government’s “social justice plan.
“Economic growth is at the core of social justice, that should span all citizens and governorates, Mubarak said to cheers and applause from Members of Parliament.
Starting this parliamentary term on the right foot will allow the People’s Assembly and the Shoura Council to compliment last year’s constitutional amendments with legislative changes, namely in the investment and finance domains, said Mubarak.
The “ambitious legislative agenda will help the common citizen grasp the government’s revolutionary vision and help “[enhance] our political and economic lives, he said.
Mubarak cited the phases the economy has gone through to achieve its current status as the top reformer. Since the 80s, the government has focused on rebuilding its infrastructure. In the 90s, Egypt managed to reduce half of its external debts as well as encourage FDI and private companies to flourish.
Nevertheless, Egypt had to deal with internal and external challenges in the mid-90s, namely domestic terrorism and a surge in petroleum prices. Both factors “negatively affected the economy.
“However, we were able to rise, pushing the economy forward with strict tax and custom policies, he said. These issues remain a priority.
With economic changes comes political reform, and “we need to reform the relationship between the government and citizens in order to push the country forward, Mubarak said.
He said the government should reach out to people in lower-income brackets with services, including health and education, and employment opportunities through the “management of the country’s assets program. He called on the government to implement his presidential platform, which entails investing in human resources as well as empowering women.
“I continue to call on political participation to preserve our economic growth and establish social justice, he said.
Mubarak identified the challenges that the government might face, namely to maintain the domestic GDP growth and live up to international changes, such as the increase in petroleum prices.
Voicing what trade, investment and finance ministers have been saying all year, one of the pressing issues the nation needs to address is subsidies. “We need an honest dialogue to address subsidies and the burden it puts on the economy and ensure it reaches those who need it the most, Mubarak said. The president concluded by affirming the importance of domestic stability amid turbulence in the Middle East. “Terrorism is still a domestic threat that should be addressed with a strict anti-terrorism law, he said.
The new anti-terrorism law – part of the constitutional amendments approved in the national referendum in March 2007 – will top the People’s Assembly’s agenda in the coming parliamentary session.
On the international level, Mubarak said that he will continue efforts to bring stability to the region, including in Lebanon and Darfur. He also said that he is looking forward to the Annapolis Middle East peace process that should enable a Palestinian state to exist with Jerusalem as its capital.
