The NDP must blaze a new trail in policy, and its implementation, writes Ibrahim Nafie The first annual congress of the National Democratic Party (NDP) opens tomorrow. Over the course of three days delegates will discuss working papers prepared by a range of experts in various fields. The congress will be meeting beneath the banner, "New thinking and rights of citizens first". The slogan, I believe, reflects the aspirations of the average man in the street, especially given current circumstances of Egypt and the Arab world and the sweeping upheavals in the international order. Egypt is the foremost Arab power and is regarded by many as a political compass for the rest of the Arab world. This alone places a weighty burden on the NDP leadership, as the principles their party adopts and the freshness and originality it brings to bear in formulating its platform will not only serve as a model for other political parties in Egypt but also to majority parties in other Arab countries. Indeed, it would be no exaggeration to say that the experience of the NDP in Egypt can serve as an incentive to other Arab nations to use this experience as a guideline on how to pursue democratisation and economic development in accordance with a national vision untarnished by foreign considerations. Compounding the importance of the forthcoming congress are the perils looming over the region, most dangerously designs to fragment the Arab world, neutralise its identity and prepare the ground for Israel to become the primary regional power. Over the past year, specifically since the NDP's eighth general congress last September, the party's policies committee has worked assiduously to crystallise its ideas on major issues facing Egypt and the region. Studies have been prepared, diagnosing the diverse aspects of such issues and proposing practical solutions which, if they are put into effect, should produce a qualitative leap forward in the manner in which we handle the many problems and challenges before us. This approach reflects both the wisdom and the urgency of the NDP congress banner. We are in desperate need of a "new way of thinking", one that helps us devise creative solutions to the problems that have accumulated over the years and which hamper the ability of the Egyptian people to do what is necessary to allow the country to cross the threshold into a new age of progress and development. Egypt has no shortage of human potential. We have the resources, skills and talents to achieve higher growth rates and better performance in all fields of activity. What we do need, however, is to be creative, innovative, courageous, resolute. We must persevere in taking and following through on the decisions necessary to make any national revival an actuality. As with everything new we can expect a certain amount of resistance, whether due to an inability to abandon rigid outlooks or to assorted personal motives. In this regard it cannot be stressed enough how vital it is for us to forge ahead in applying the new thinking, regardless of outmoded attitudes. This is because the forthcoming phase requires, above all, conviction on the part of those who are steering the affairs of our nation that Egypt deserves far better than ad hoc crisis management. It needs a forward looking, comprehensive outlook that aspires to propel Egypt beyond its immediate economic, social and political problems towards the goal of rising among the ranks of emerging industrialised nations. This is not to say that we have to reinvent the wheel. We know precisely what our problems are and we already have some very good ideas about the radical solutions that are necessary. Egypt also has an extensive store of experience and expertise acquired from adopting different courses towards progress and development, its programmes in this regard inspired first by socialist and later by liberal schools of thought. Much can be gained, and many mistakes avoided, through a thorough assessment of this legacy. We can also draw on the experiences of those nations with cultures and civilisations similar to ours, which have recently made astounding economic and political progress. The creative initiative and intrepid determination that helped generate these successes underscores the extent to which rigid attitudes and stagnant modes of thinking fail in meeting both the needs of the present and the challenges of the future. Egypt can no longer afford to merely scrape along in a manner that minimises losses. It needs a constantly regenerating spirit of creativity, the courage to face problems head on and the tenacity to see solutions through. Without a doubt, the attention of many in Egypt, the Arab world and abroad will be trained on the first annual NDP congress. They will be particularly keen to see whether the party puts its banner -- "A new way of thinking and rights of the citizens" -- into effect. They will not only be looking at the substance of discussions and resolutions but, more importantly, at how they translate the banner into practice. This calls for concrete plans that are implemented and followed through in a manner that furthers the aspirations of the Egyptian people and ensures that their country remains a driving force at the heart of the Arab world. The Arab world has always looked to Egypt for initiative, action and leadership. We, therefore, have the right to ask the NDP to set the course not only for other political parties in Egypt but also for the rest of the Arab world. The first step in setting this course is to establish the underlying principles for a new mode of political action, one that enables Egypt to rise to the formidable challenges before it and that is commensurate with Egypt's regional status and the hopes Egyptian and Arab peoples place in it.
