The ruling party has chosen "Rights of Citizens First" as the slogan for its first annual conference. Gamal Essam El-Din reports The ruling National Democratic Party's (NDP) first annual conference is scheduled to take place from 26-28 September. President Hosni Mubarak, the party's chairman, will head the conference, which has chosen "Rights of Citizens First" as its slogan. According to NDP Secretary- General Safwat El-Sherif, the slogan encapsulates the conference's intention of opening up a wide-scale dialogue on citizens' rights vis-à- vis the nation's political and economic spheres. The details of this dialogue will be discussed during an NDP Policy Secretariat meeting being held today. NDP Assistant Secretary-General Kamal El- Shazli, the minister of state for parliamentary affairs, indicated that as many as 2200 NDP members are expected to take part in the conference. "This includes members of the party's Politburo (13), Secretariat-General (25), central secretariats (around 400), Higher Policies Council (125), People's Assembly and Shura Council deputies (around 650), basic provincial unit chairmen (350), provincial offices chairmen (28), and five per cent of the party's members at the governorate level. Attendees will participate in debates taking place in five committees: Citizens' rights and democratisation; Economic policies; Education and scientific research; Conservation of agricultural land and urban growth; and the Future of Egypt's transport sector. El-Sherif said an open dialogue with leading representatives of civil society would also be taking place on the sidelines of the conference. "This dialogue, which is the first of its kind, will include senior members of NGOs, professional syndicates and other civil associations." El-Sherif said, "the initiative shows that the ruling party is not monopolising policies and is rather keen on exchanging views with other political forces." Mubarak will open the conference on Friday 26 September, after which El- Sherif will deliver a report on the party's achievements in 2003, as well as its goals for 2004. El-Shazli and NDP Secretary for Financial and Administrative Affairs Zakaria Azmi will also be delivering reports on the party's organisational affairs as well as its current balance sheet, which shows a total of LE125,000 in paid membership fees (membership costs LE2 per year) over the last six months, compared with LE170,000 in 2002. The report also reveals a deficit of LE230,000. Gamal Mubarak, the 39-year-old son of President Mubarak and chairman of the party's influential Policy Secretariat, will address the conference's first session on the coordination that has been taking place between the government and the ruling party. El-Sherif said this will encompass a discussion of the following reports: Egypt and the outside world (Egypt's relations with the Arab world, America, Europe, Africa, Russia, Japan, China and India); Youth and political participation; Women, health and population; Education; and the National economy. NDP insiders told Al-Ahram Weekly that the foreign relations report urges that Egypt maintain its strategic relations with the United States. "This relationship supports the improvement of relations between America and the Arab world in general, and helps ease tensions in this explosive region," said Fathi El-Baradie, chairman of the Shura Council's Foreign and Arab Affairs Committee. Economic policies, however, will be the conference's top priority. Monetary and fiscal policies, trade and investment, and privatisation will all be on the agenda. El-Sherif said the government and the ruling party had recently agreed that as many as 13 bills -- mostly economic in nature -- would be submitted to parliament for debate. Foremost among these are bills on anti- trust regulations, consumer protection and income tax cuts. The latter is primarily aimed at ameliorating ordinary citizens' economic woes caused by the government's 29 January decision to float the Egyptian pound. The floatation has resulted in unprecedented attacks on the government, with the opposition calling on Mubarak to dismiss Prime Minister Atef Ebeid. NDP leaders have been arguing, however, that the floatation of the pound was needed in order to avoid even worse consequences in the future. "It was important to take this step as early as possible rather than pay a heavy price later," said El-Sherif. The conference's second day will include sessions on conservation of agricultural land and the upgrading of the education system. All eyes will be on the education session as it discusses USAID's funding of this sector, as well as decentralisation, scientific research and technology transfer. On the third and closing day, 28 September, Mubarak will again address the conference. This will be preceded by sessions on the transport sector and economic policies, as well as a general session on the party's specialised committees. Ebeid will also be delivering a speech on the policies of his NDP-supported government. The party's ambitious plan to conduct an open dialogue with civil society representatives was coolly received, meanwhile, by opposition parties. Rifaat El-Said, secretary-general of the leftist Tagammu Party, said the NDP had conducted many dialogues with opposition blocs in the last few years "but all of them were of no avail because the NDP is against any radical political and constitutional reforms."
