In his first interview of the presidential election campaign, President Hosni Mubarak -- the ruling National Democratic Party candidate -- speaks to Al-Ahram Chief Editor Osama Saraya At the close of a heated campaign season, during which there were fierce attacks on his promises and platforms, President Hosni Mubarak outlines a blueprint for a new term in office. He calls on the public to take part in building a better future, by voting for the candidate of their choice on 7 September. Mubarak is convinced that people can tell the difference between serious commitments and empty promises. The nation's dreams and aspirations, he says, are dependent on the security and stability that he sees as his number one priority and concern. Acknowledging the difficult circumstances currently facing the region, Mubarak maintains that the drive for reform reflects a purely Egyptian perspective, which matches the public's legitimate aims Mr President, when you launched your initiative to amend Article 76 of the constitution to provide for direct multi-candidate presidential elections, did you anticipate what we see today in the Egyptian political arena? Ever since I assumed my responsibilities as president, I have believed that political reform must proceed in tandem with economic and social reform. This initiative began to take shape in my mind two years ago with the idea of stimulating a major transformation in our political life. I did anticipate the much- needed spurt of political activity we see today. The reactions to the initiative I announced in Al-Menoufiya on 26 February and the developments since then, from the referendum on the constitutional amendment on 25 May to the launch of campaigns on 17 August, confirms that our political life has entered a truly new, vibrant and dynamic phase. If, by your question, you are also referring to certain excesses and controversies that have arisen, that too was to be expected in the course of the developments catalysed by the initiative. I am not particularly worried about these phenomena. What is important is that all political forces focus on the future, and work together to create a better life for our people in the forthcoming phase. Ultimately, what is right will prevail, because the Egyptian people are aware. They can make their own choices, and they know how to tell the difference between hollow slogans and my serious electoral platform. In the midst of this competitive campaign climate, how are you coping with your duties as president, in light of events in Iraq, Palestine, Sudan and elsewhere in the region which have an impact on Egypt's national security? My involvement in the presidential campaign as the NDP candidate is one thing, my responsibility as president is another. In spite of my campaign tours, I continue to exercise my duties as president on both domestic and foreign policy issues. I have recently visited Sirte. I have received [former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud] Barak and [Palestinian President] Abu Mazen and I am in continual contact with Arab and world leaders. Egypt's national security has always been my number one priority. This is a very disturbing period for our region, whether in Palestine following the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza or in Iraq and Sudan. Then there are the enormous pressures that Syria and Syrian-Lebanese relations are under and the situation in the Horn of Africa and in the Great Lakes area where the sources of the Nile are located. Egypt has a crucial central role to play in its regional and international environment, and there is a direct link between this and domestic issues and the national security of Egypt and the region. Because of the current regional situation I called for an emergency Arab summit to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh last month. There are disturbing issues that cannot wait until the regular summit is held in Sudan next March. I am confident that my fellow Arab leaders are no less concerned about these matters than I am. Mr President, have you looked at the electoral platforms of the other presidential candidates? Of course. Having presented my platform it was also important to know what the other candidates were proposing. Some of their ideas converge with my own as the NDP candidate. On the other hand, some would propel us backwards into the past, while others fail to comprehend the nature of current regional and international balances of power. Yet others simply confine themselves to criticism without proposing solutions, or if solutions are offered they are unrealistic and impossible to implement. Any electoral platform must be founded upon a vision that the public can subscribe to. It must address the problems of the average citizen and it must set up realistic programmes for solving them. By realistic I mean that the proposed programmes must be carefully studied down to projected costs, and they must be broken down into specific targets that can be accomplished within set time frames. It is also important to identify the sources of finance for these projects. Such details are what make up a serious electoral platform. In addition, the candidates must have the drive and leadership skills needed to put their pledges into effect. How do you feel that the Egyptian people responded to your electoral platform? The Egyptian people are intelligent and well- informed. I felt that they responded favourably to my platform when I gave its broad outlines in Al-Masai Al-Mashkoura School [in Al-Menoufiya], and later when I presented it in detail at Al-Azhar Park at the opening of the electoral campaigns and then in every public rally I have held since then -- in 10th Ramadan City, in Abul-Matamir, in Al-Mahalla Al-Kobra, in Al-Minya and elsewhere. People know the difference between mere words and promises, and true commitment to a well-considered and itemised programme of action. What is important to me is that they feel that the programmes and policies I have presented will solve their problems, and open the doors to the realisation of their hopes and ambitions. Mr President, were there certain policies and measures that had to be taken to prepare the ground for the electoral platform you presented in your campaign? Of course. The Al-Menoufiya initiative and subsequent developments could not have emerged out of thin air. The way was paved by the policy decisions and measures that made it possible to achieve considerable inroads in political, economic and social reform over previous years. My electoral platform is the product of the accomplishments we have already achieved. I could not have put forward the objectives I have outlined in my electoral platform and the means for realising them, if there had not been this base of achievements upon which to build. The programme I have proposed for investment and increasing employment opportunities, the plans for constitutional and legislative reform, the programmes for the agricultural, industrial and tourist sectors, the improvements we envision in education, health care and social and health insurance, our proposals for raising wages and pensions and for developing public services, our determination to promote women's rights and the aspirations of the middle class -- I could never have committed myself to these many programmes had we not had the sturdy foundation built over many years of work. Many statistics provided by both local and international agencies testify to the progress that has been achieved. But do you believe that there have been shortcomings in making the public aware of this? I wouldn't go so far as to say shortcomings. Nevertheless, I do believe that the public is not fully aware of the scope and extent of what has been achieved. There are reasons for this. One is that I personally do not like to dwell on achievements. I am more interested in making them happen. I am happiest when I can open up a new infrastructure project, a new factory or a new hospital. Another reason is that more than half of the Egyptian population is too young to have experienced the many difficulties we encountered before liberating Sinai, and before rebuilding the urban infrastructure. They never had to contend with the problems of clogged sewers, of water and electricity cut-offs, of telephones not working. On the other hand, I am sure that the public feels the tangible results of the progress we have made in many areas over the past few years. The new tax law has reduced the tax burden on the average citizen and simultaneously worked to streamline the tax system. There has been a marked increase in the average wage. We have given a powerful boost to the private sector, which is now driving our export trade. Tourism has flourished, as has the agricultural sector, yielding improved standards of living for Egyptian farmers. All these accomplishments were the product of the combined efforts of society and conscientious policies that we pursued with determination and confidence yielding the cumulative results that have brought us today to a threshold of a new phase of progress which I believe can be accomplished through the policies and measures I have detailed in my electoral platform. Your electoral platform provides for constitutional and legislative reforms aimed at securing civil liberties. Could you elaborate on the nature of these reforms? I presented the broad strokes of these reforms in my speeches at Al-Masai Al-Mashkoura School and at Al-Azhar Park, and then in greater detail in my speech in Al-Minya. What all these reforms have in common is that they aim to inject greater vitality into our political life. My programme aims to bolster the constitutional and legislative structures regulating politics. I want the best possible electoral system that will enable a more active representation of political parties and women in parliament. I want to strengthen popular participation in politics and the role of parliament. I want to increase the powers of the cabinet, so that it can undertake some of the tasks of the executive, and I want to introduce more restrictions on the exercise of the powers of the president. It is also essential to strengthen the power and autonomy of the court, and to support local and decentralised administration. All of this represents signposts for the future of political life and the process of democratisation in the forthcoming phase. Mr President, when you assumed your responsibilities as head of state you declared that economic reform was your principal concern. Egypt has made great strides in that regard. Yet today your campaign platform focuses on political reform. Is this because our economic progress has equipped us for political reform? Yes. Six months after becoming president I convened an economic conference. This set into motion the enormous efforts we expended towards rebuilding our infrastructure and developing and deregulating our economy. However, to suggest that the idea was to begin with the economy and then move to political reform is an oversimplification of the process and contrary to the facts. From the moment I took office, I believed that political, economic and social reform went hand in hand. Just as we produced achievements in infrastructure, utilities, industry, agriculture, education, health, tourism and other domains, we simultaneously made inroads in developing the frameworks that govern our political life. We strengthened the Constitutional Court, we promoted political party activity and we supported a free press and an independent judiciary. Also, just as we built upon our economic achievements with a new generation of laws governing taxation, customs, banks and investment, so too did the amendment of Article 76 and the subsequent electoral laws build upon the legislative infrastructure that we have been developing for the government of our political life over many years. Unemployment, a problem that is becoming graver by the day, is one of our country's most crucial concerns. Do you believe that the Egyptian economy has the capacity to absorb the unemployed? My electoral platform places heavy emphasis on the problem of unemployment and the programmes for remedying it. As I mentioned in my campaign speeches, my plan is to create 4.5 million new jobs in the next six years by means of one of the most ambitious investment programmes Egypt has ever seen. I am confident that we can attain this objective. We created nine million new jobs in the previous phase. In addition, the job creation programme I have proposed has been constructed on the basis of practical studies and an assessment of budgetary projections for the next six years assures me that sufficient finance will be available. We will focus on generating small, mid-size and large enterprises in the agricultural, industrial and tourist sectors, which will absorb increasing numbers of workers. We will simultaneously continue to offer incentives to the private sector and we will also enhance the banking sector's ability to perform its vital role in channelling investments towards our desired goals. The problem of unemployment is our major challenge and I am confident of our ability to overcome it. Throughout your career as president you have always demonstrated concern for the limited income sector that makes up a large proportion of our society. What does your electoral platform promise them in terms of education, housing, health care and food? You are correct. I have always regarded the limited income sector of the populace, the simple people who constitute the majority of our society, my foremost responsibility. From the moment I took office I have consistently sought to defend their interests and to solve their problems. This is why I insisted upon gradating the processes of economic deregulation and structural readjustment in the 1990s. I wanted to protect the limited income sector from the adverse effects of these processes as much as possible. Similarly, I ensured that the privatisation programmes would safeguard the interests of workers and their families. I have taken every possible occasion to reaffirm my commitment to the welfare of farmers and workers. When we reduced taxes by half and raised the exemptions ceiling the aim was to provide every Egyptian family with a higher income. When we reduced customs, the purpose was to help stabilise prices and when I asked the government to approve a hike in the government allocation for pay rises from 15 to 20 per cent the intent was to strike a balance between wages and prices. Subsidies on food commodities, petroleum products and electricity increased in the current budget in order to alleviate the burdens on the limited income sector. Of course, there are still problems in education, health care, transportation and housing, and we will do our utmost in the coming phase to remedy them. Whereas political rhetoric in Egypt has always tended to focus on the disparities between the limited income sector and the upper classes, your platform makes a clear reference to the middle class, which some believe has not received sufficient attention. Why were you so keen to demonstrate your concern for the middle class and its problems? While the concerns of the limited income sector have always been at the top of my agenda, and will remain so, I feel it important to stress my concern and continued support for the middle class. This class, too, represents a broad segment of the Egyptian people. If properly led and inspired, the members of this class have the power to give a powerful boost to society as a whole. Doctors, engineers, teachers, accountants and the practitioners of other professions have legitimate ambitions that merit our support. When we offer a loan to a doctor to open a private clinic, or to an architect to set up an office, we are helping them to provide services to society. Society benefits and so do they. As professionals, they need appropriate housing and sophisticated services. We must facilitate this for them too. Egypt is an influential power in its regional environment and it is only natural that the world follows its progress. Some believe this international interest has been taken too far to become a form of intervention in our domestic affairs. What is your perception on this question? Naturally, I refuse to be pressured by anyone. Egypt refuses to be pressured by anyone. Our relations with the world's major powers and its sole superpower are based on the principles of friendship, mutual respect and common interests. Yes, the world is interested in events in Egypt, not just because of the forthcoming elections and the progress of reform but also because what happens in Egypt affects the area around it. The world is eager for Egypt to remain stable because stability here is intrinsically bound up with the stability of this delicate region and, hence, international stability. Take, for example, the international anxiety that was stirred by the recent terrorist attack on Sharm El-Sheikh and how the entire world condemned the attack and declared its solidarity with Egypt. As for our reform programme, it is inspired by a purely Egyptian vision and is a response to the legitimate aspirations of our people. Reform cannot be dictated from abroad. Our international partners realise this and realise that we will not tolerate such pressures or any form of intervention in our affairs. Security and stability are vital to life and development in Egypt. In view of the instability in the region around us, what is your forecast on these fronts? My confidence in the future security and stability of Egypt remains unshaken. This is a matter that supersedes all others. All the hopes we are pinning on the continuation of the processes of economic and political reform, on our very future, rest on our stability and security remaining inviolable. This is why my platform states that one of my primary objectives is to safeguard the strength and security of our country. Yes, we are living in a shaky Middle East, a sensitive region that produces most of the world's oil and in which is located more than half of the world's known oil reserves and, thus, it is a global economic nerve centre. It is also a region that has experienced an uninterrupted chain of crises and upheavals, all of which have direct bearing on Egypt's security and stability. In addition to the dangerous situations to the east, we have our southern dimension to contend with, in Africa, where the sources of the Nile are located, and we have the continued peril of terrorism. I take all these current and potential dangers very seriously, for Egypt's security and stability form a red line that I will permit no one to transgress. In most elections the relationship between candidates and voters rarely goes beyond promises. You have stressed that these elections will not be determined by words alone. What will determine their outcome? These are the first direct presidential elections in our history. The candidates that have fielded themselves are aspiring to the highest office in the land, an office that comes with heavy responsibilities. In such a situation, words and promises are not enough. A candidate must have a vision that voters can believe in and he must be able to convince the voters that he has the ability to see his vision through. As I said in my speech to workers in 10th of Ramadan City, words are easy and criticising is easier yet. The hard part is to come up with a feasible programme for solving problems and the harder part yet is to put that programme into effect and get results. People want a leadership that can come through on its campaign commitments and that can also defend the country's security and interests. This is what will determine the outcome of the presidential elections. Your initiative calling for the amendment of Article 76 has placed an enormous responsibility upon Egyptian voters when they head to the polls. What might we say to these people who are charged for the first time in their history with the task of choosing their president from among a diversity of candidates? We can tell them that they, now, have the ultimate say in setting the course for the future, because they will be choosing the president who will lead them for the next few years. Citizens must exercise their right to have their say and casting their vote is the way forward at this phase. I have this to say to the people: go to the polls and vote for the candidate of your choice. Vote for the person whose platform you believe in and who you feel will fulfill the pledges he made to you in his electoral campaign amidst difficult regional and international circumstances. Vote for the candidate who has the ability to lead, who will not hesitate to defend the interests of the nation, who will never relax his vigilance over our country's stability, who will not be drawn into adventures that will place our people and their future at risk, who will place the interests of Egypt and the Egyptian people above all other considerations. This is your responsibility; do not neglect it. This is your right; do not squander it. Participate in building your future, the future of your country and the future of your children and grandchildren. I made this possible with the initiative I launched in Al-Menoufiya. Today it is your turn to do your part.
