Economic and political reform topped the agenda of two high profile NDP meetings this week, but the opposition wants more, reports Gamal Essam El-Din With the ruling National Democratic Party's (NDP) second annual conference set to begin in just two weeks time, the party's chairman, President Hosni Mubarak, held two meetings on Sunday to discuss a new national agenda of political and economic reforms. The meetings ended with the adoption of a slogan -- "New Thinking and the Priorities of Reform" -- for the 21-23 September conference. Last year's first annual NDP conference was headlined "New Thinking and Citizens Rights". Mubarak's first meeting was with the cabinet's economic group, which includes Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and the ministers of finance, oil, international cooperation, planning, investment and industry. According to presidential spokesman Maged Abdel- Fattah, the meeting focussed on the Nazif government's plans, which include "introducing a comprehensive agenda of customs and tax reform, creating a more friendly investment climate, and boosting exports". Finance Minister Youssef Boutros Ghali said the goal was not only to simplify tax procedures and abolish customs on a new list of imported goods, but to also smooth the way for Egypt to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States. To do so, Ghali said, laws on customs, taxes and investment would be amended and submitted to the next session of the People's Assembly for discussion. Said El-Alfi, chairman of the assembly's economic committee, told Al-Ahram Weekly that Nazif's appointment last July helped ease concerns about Egypt's economy. "Egypt's improved economic performance has also bolstered stability: exports have increased; black market currency exchange rates are now close to official levels; and remittances are higher because of record high oil prices," El-Alfi said. The situation was not all rosy, though. Some structural problems, such as rising inflation, still remain, he said. Reforming the nation's political scene was the focus of Mubarak's second meeting. According to Shura Council Chairman Safwat El-Sherif, the issues that were discussed included the amendment of six laws: the Political Parties law (40/1977); the People's Assembly Law (38/1972); the Law on the Exercise of Political Rights (73/1956); the Professional Syndicates Law (100/1993); the Local Administration Law; and ridding the penal code of imprisonment penalties for publication offences. Although details on the potential legislative amendments of the above laws remained scant, informed sources said the political parties law would be primarily revamped to include two opposition parliamentarians and one independent political analyst on the committee entrusted with licensing political parties. The law on the exercise of political rights would most likely be amended to stipulate that candidates running in general elections must have completed preparatory school (the current law only mandates that candidates be able to read and write). The law may also be amended to allow those who dodged military service to run for office. Last year, the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that the membership of MPs who failed to perform their military service be revoked. The People's Assembly reacted by stripping 18 MPs, all belonging to the NDP, of their membership. Yet another amendment will mandate that citizens with dual nationalities would not be allowed to run for office. Opposition parties remained unimpressed with the NDP's efforts. Earlier this month, a major conference attended by representatives of eight opposition parties explicitly set itself the goal of ending the ruling party's 26-year-old monopoly of political life. Party leaders Noaman Gomaa (Wafd), Rifaat El-Said (the leftist Tagammu), Diaaeddin Dawoud (the Arab Nasserists), Ibrahim Shukri (the frozen Islamist- oriented Labour), Nagui El-Shehabi (Democratic Generation), Ahmed Shuhayeb (National Consensus), Fawzi Ghazal (Egypt 2000), and Ahmed El-Sabahi (Umma) were all in attendance. According to Gomaa, however, the opposition meeting was not a declaration of war against the ruling party, but a step aimed at mobilising the Egyptian public to press for political and constitutional reforms. One key item on the opposition's agenda, Gomaa said, was amending the constitution so that a free and direct presidential election is held to choose the country's next leader. The parties have decided to establish a joint general secretariat to serve as the opposition's authorised voice, coordinate action between the parties and civil society organisations, and prepare a unified agenda for political and constitutional reform. The secretariat, which held its first meeting on Tuesday, has chosen to launch its action plan by coordinating with human rights organisations and heads of professional syndicates. Future phases will also include contacts with the banned Muslim Brotherhood, Arab Nasserists Chairman Diaaeddin Dawoud told the Weekly. Dawoud dismissed allegations that the opposition's joint secretariat was expressly meant to rival Gamal Mubarak's NDP Policies Committee. "The opposition's secretariat has long been a necessity to group the opposition's reform initiatives into one voice and mount pressure on the ruling party," Dawoud said. NDP Secretary-General Safwat El-Sherif said the ruling party did not see the opposition conference as an overt attempt to sabotage the ruling party's upcoming conference. He said the NDP did not think constitutional reform was a priority right now. "[Too] much talk on constitutional reform on the part of the opposition will open the door to foreign intervention in domestic affairs," El-Sherif said. "The opposition should recognise this fact, and opt to seek common ground with the NDP, so as not to allow foreign powers to meddle with the country's future."
