The year ends with a cabinet reshuffle, reports Dina Ezzat This week's cabinet reshuffle was a mixed bag. On Tuesday, President Hosni Mubarak ordered Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif to form a new cabinet that, according to the made-public letter of assignment, should be able to "go ahead with the achievements of the past few years in inducing political, economic and social reforms ... in accordance with the aspirations of the nation". According to Mohamed Abdel-Fattah, a 58-year- old civil servant, and others who spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly hours after the new cabinet was announced, the reshuffle had been long awaited -- at least since Mubarak's September electoral victory. "I am very pleased with some of the changes, especially in relation to those ministers who are leaving the cabinet after many years of poor performance," Abdel-Fattah told Al-Ahram Weekly. Some of the ministers should have been asked to leave earlier, Abdel-Fattah said, but "this is not a bad change after all." Mubarak had stressed that the new government's main task would be to implement the platform of wider and faster reforms that he called for during the nation's first multi-candidate elections earlier this year. The president highlighted specific areas of particular concern, especially higher levels of investment, more job opportunities and better quality education and health care. The ultimate objective, he said, is the creation of a modern Egyptian society. He also insisted that the implementation of this vision for reform could only be secured through close and active cooperation between government and parliament. As such, the first minister to exit the cabinet was Kamal El-Shazli, the long-time minister of People's Assembly affairs, and assistant secretary- general of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), which is chaired by Mubarak himself. Shazli's portfolio is now assigned to Shura Council Affairs Minister Mufid Shehab, who will still keep his original portfolio. Outgoing ministers include Mohamed Ibrahim Suleiman, minister of housing; Hassan Khedr, minister of supplies; Amina El-Guindi, minister of social affairs; and Ahmed El-Aamawi, minister of manpower. Sources close to the president say that Mubarak felt there was big room for improvement in these ministries. "He heard too many complaints. And he verified those complaints," one source said. He added that among the outgoing ministers, there was "one or two" who thought they were immune to change, due to their long service or closeness to the president, and "they acted as such". For those, sources say, the unpleasant surprise came as a shock. Meanwhile, the same sources insist that the president ordered Nazif to maintain the economic team whose performance was generally commended by the global economic community. Mubarak also ordered "stability" in the cabinet's key ministries: defense; foreign affairs; interior and information. This meant that Interior Minister Habib El-Adly, whose name was most speculated to exit the cabinet due to the disappointing performance of the security apparatus during the recent legislative elections, was to stay on, sources say, with a clear assignment "to toughen all security measures in the face of threats from militant groups that target Egypt -- both local and foreign". The equally controversial Justice Minister, Mohamed Abul-Leil, who has recently been subject to harsh criticism from none other than the nation's top judges, is also retaining his post. As is Culture Minister Farouk Hosni, who had resigned earlier in the year in the wake of a series of cultural mishaps, including the death of a group of the nation's best theatre critics during a fire that hit a Beni Sweif theatre in the autumn. Speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly's Nevine El-Aref yesterday, Hosni said that although he had publicly expressed disinterest in retaining his portfolio, his new mandate would focus on addressing the shortcomings of the past. He promised to dedicate much attention to rural areas, and stressed that new and modern cultural centres will be established. He also noted that much attention would be dedicated to youth, with an eye on rejuvenating cultural activities as part of the educational process. These efforts will run parallel to a host of heritage preservation projects. Most of the cabinet's new ministers hail from a business background, and are widely seen as pro- liberalisation. Yesterday, some of them made their early statements and highlighted their commitment to upgrading the performance in their sectors. Prominent businessman Mohamed Mansour, the new transportation minister, is a former president of the American Chambre of Commerce in Egypt. Ali El-Moselhi, who heads the new Social Solidarity Ministry, also comes from a private sector background, but was most recently the head of the Egyptian postal service, where he implemented a wide-ranging modernisation project. The new cabinet is expect to be officially sworn- in today before President Mubarak, who will probably chair its first meeting within the coming 48 hours. Some commentators are saying that, in the final analysis, this reshuffle was part of a battle to win public opinion -- even if partially. What people are hoping to see next is a change of policies to complement the limited change of faces.
