The two-year conflict between the ruling NDP's old guard and its younger members is expected to reach a climax when its general congress meets next week. Gamal Essam El-Din reports As many as 6,000 members are expected to participate next week in the eighth general congress of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). The three-day event will be inaugurated by President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday at Cairo Stadium's grand indoor hall. The congress is being held under the slogan "New Thinking". Gamal Mubarak, the 39-year-old son of President Mubarak and a leading member of NDP's general-secretariat, explained during a rally in the southern governorate of Minya last week that the congress's slogan is intended to indicate that the party is focusing on reinvigorating its ranks and modifying its platform with an eye to ensuring that Egypt is in step with global developments. According to Gamal Mubarak, 80 per cent of the congress business will be devoted to tackling the amendment of the party's platform and its internal regulations. Following President Mubarak's address, party Secretary-General Youssef Wali and his deputy, Kamal El- Shazli, are scheduled to deliver speeches in which El-Shazli is expected to announce that the NDP has decided to re-elect President Mubarak as its chairman for the sixth time. That evening, Gamal Mubarak and Safwat El-Sherif, NDP deputy secretary- general and information minister, will chair a special session to review a paper on the party's platform and internal regulations. The paper is one of three to be debated by NDP members. The second is about reformulating the party's internal regulations, while the third outlines reform proposals submitted by eight NDP committees. Gamal Mubarak anticipates that the paper about the party's platform and internal regulations will be highly controversial. "I expect that the elements of this paper, which is called 'A Paper on the Party's Basic Principles' will spark serious debates in political, economic and cultural quarters." In its discussion of the party's ideology, the 29-point paper says that the party adheres to a "centrist ideology". "This means that the party aims to strike a balance between the rights of citizens and the interests of the state," it says. Affirming that the NDP believes that Islam should be the basic source of legislation in Egypt, the paper says, "This, however, does not contradict the constitution's statement that all citizens are equal before the law and that they have equal public rights and duties without discrimination due to race, ethnic origin, language, religion or creed." With respect to the economy, this first paper states that the NDP espouses market-economy principles for achieving sustainable development and higher growth rates. On Egypt's role internationally, it emphasises that Egypt is a regional power. "This means that the NDP believes that Egypt should play the role of principle peace broker between the Israelis and the Palestinians." The document adds that the NDP believes that maintaining excellent relations with the United States and Western Europe should be one of Egypt's main foreign policy priorities. The paper about the NDP's internal regulations, which will be presented by El-Shazli on the second day of the congress, focuses on amendments made to party regulations during the past six months. According to El- Shazli, this paper discusses a host of changes that have as their objectives democratising the party's internal structures and reinvigorating the party by attracting young members. "Foremost among the radical changes is the creation of 13 secretariats to stimulate the party's activities and improve its performance," he said. A committee for ethics and one for legal affairs will be established to report directly to the party's chairman. Discussing the paper's contents further, El-Shazli said, "This is in addition to creating two committees for policies and parliamentary affairs. The former will include a 200-member higher council to coordinate the party's policies, while the latter will act as a link between NDP MPs and the cabinet." El-Shazli said that a mini NDP congress will be held annually in September to review the party's performance. "The party's general congress, however, will be held every five years. NDP congresses were originally held annually, but the party later decided to have the event once every three or four years." New NDP regulations stipulate that party candidates for parliamentary and municipal elections must be elected in an open ballot. "As for the 12 members of the party's politburo, they will be appointed by the party chairman. These appointments, however, must be approved by the party's annual congress," El-Shazli said, noting that the party's chairman will, in cases of necessity, be granted the right to replace members of the politburo and the secretariat-general. Such appointments must also be approved by the party's annual congress. The second day of the congress, consequently, is scheduled to be a busy voting day. The members of the politburo will be named and a vote will be held to ratify their appointment. The party will also conduct the elections for members of the secretariat-general, marking the first time in the party's 24-year history that this leading body is elected. The committees whose proposals comprise the third paper, noted here along with their respective chairs, are: organisational affairs (Kamal El- Shazli), basic principles (Gamal Mubarak and Safwat El-Sherif), young people (Nabih El-Alaqami), women (Fayza Hammouda), health (Samir Diaaie), education (Naguib El-Hilali), economic affairs (Mahmoud Mohieddin) and employment (Sabri El- Shabrawi). Five of these committees will meet on the first day to present their proposals, while the remaining three will meet on the second day. The proposals submitted by some of these committees advocate thoroughgoing changes to Egypt's economic structures. Yomna El-Hamaki, a member of the NDP secretariat-general, said at an NDP rally on 3 September that the NDP believes that the socialist principle of providing public services for free, especially in the health and education sectors, is no longer viable. "The provision of these services for free has led to the deterioration in their quality and, hence, exacerbated the difficulties faced by limited- income citizens in obtaining a good level of education and health care." For this reason, El-Hamaki added, the NDP calls for opening up the health and education sectors to private investment. She also said that the party is dedicated to breaking down barriers standing in the way of women's active participation in political and economic life. On the final day of the conference, Prime Minister Atef Ebeid will deliver a speech on the government's role in implementing NDP proposals. Papers are scheduled to be delivered about improving the performance of the Egyptian economy and enhancing the efficiency of public services. Congress recommendations are scheduled to be announced by NDP Secretary-General Youssef Wali in the final session. That this role will be given to Wali has been taken by political observers to indicate that he will probably continue on as the party's number two man. Wali, along with his two deputies, Kamal El-Shazli and Safwat El- Sherif, are considered the main figures of the party's old guard, which, it has been rumoured, has resisted sweeping changes backed by Gamal Mubarak. In the past two months, the prosecution authorities referred a number of people associated with the old guard to investigation on charges of involvement in a spate of bribery scandals. The most recent of those is the former chairman of Misr Exterior Bank Abdallah Tayel, who, on Monday, was forbidden from leaving the country and is expected to be referred to trial before the Supreme State Security Court on charges of providing hefty loans to a handful of businessmen without adequate collateral against hefty commissions. Gamal Mubarak said last week that the recent spate of corruption scandals clearly demonstrates that leading government figures are not above the law. "I would like to add that you even have to expect new corruption scandals to be revealed by Egypt's administrative control authority in the coming period." Gamal Mubarak is expected to be elected to the newly-created post of NDP assistant secretary-general for modernisation and policies. For their part, major opposition parties are united in the view that the NDP's reforms are hardly a harbinger of democratisation. Hussein Abdel- Razeq, chairman of the leftist-oriented Tagammu Party's political committee, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the internal conflict between "a new generation and old guard" would be more aptly described as a contest for power rather than an indicator that Egyptian politics are being democratised. "The NDP is the president's party. Its leading members insist on harnessing the government's facilities and capabilities to monopolise political life." No'aman Gomaa, chairman of the liberal-oriented Wafd Party, said that political life in Egypt will flourish if and when the NDP stops monopolising power and all political parties enjoy equal opportunities. The first general NDP congress was held in August 1978, while the most recent took place in July 1998. As many as 6,000 members are expected to participate next week in the eighth general congress of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). The three-day event will be inaugurated by President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday at Cairo Stadium's grand indoor hall. The congress is being held under the slogan "New Thinking". Gamal Mubarak, the 39-year-old son of President Mubarak and a leading member of NDP's general-secretariat, explained during a rally in the southern governorate of Minya last week that the congress's slogan is intended to indicate that the party is focusing on reinvigorating its ranks and modifying its platform with an eye to ensuring that Egypt is in step with global developments. According to Gamal Mubarak, 80 per cent of the congress business will be devoted to tackling the amendment of the party's platform and its internal regulations. Following President Mubarak's address, party Secretary-General Youssef Wali and his deputy, Kamal El- Shazli, are scheduled to deliver speeches in which El-Shazli is expected to announce that the NDP has decided to re-elect President Mubarak as its chairman for the sixth time. That evening, Gamal Mubarak and Safwat El-Sherif, NDP deputy secretary- general and information minister, will chair a special session to review a paper on the party's platform and internal regulations. The paper is one of three to be debated by NDP members. The second is about reformulating the party's internal regulations, while the third outlines reform proposals submitted by eight NDP committees. Gamal Mubarak anticipates that the paper about the party's platform and internal regulations will be highly controversial. "I expect that the elements of this paper, which is called 'A Paper on the Party's Basic Principles' will spark serious debates in political, economic and cultural quarters." In its discussion of the party's ideology, the 29-point paper says that the party adheres to a "centrist ideology". "This means that the party aims to strike a balance between the rights of citizens and the interests of the state," it says. Affirming that the NDP believes that Islam should be the basic source of legislation in Egypt, the paper says, "This, however, does not contradict the constitution's statement that all citizens are equal before the law and that they have equal public rights and duties without discrimination due to race, ethnic origin, language, religion or creed." With respect to the economy, this first paper states that the NDP espouses market-economy principles for achieving sustainable development and higher growth rates. On Egypt's role internationally, it emphasises that Egypt is a regional power. "This means that the NDP believes that Egypt should play the role of principle peace broker between the Israelis and the Palestinians." The document adds that the NDP believes that maintaining excellent relations with the United States and Western Europe should be one of Egypt's main foreign policy priorities. The paper about the NDP's internal regulations, which will be presented by El-Shazli on the second day of the congress, focuses on amendments made to party regulations during the past six months. According to El- Shazli, this paper discusses a host of changes that have as their objectives democratising the party's internal structures and reinvigorating the party by attracting young members. "Foremost among the radical changes is the creation of 13 secretariats to stimulate the party's activities and improve its performance," he said. A committee for ethics and one for legal affairs will be established to report directly to the party's chairman. Discussing the paper's contents further, El-Shazli said, "This is in addition to creating two committees for policies and parliamentary affairs. The former will include a 200-member higher council to coordinate the party's policies, while the latter will act as a link between NDP MPs and the cabinet." El-Shazli said that a mini NDP congress will be held annually in September to review the party's performance. "The party's general congress, however, will be held every five years. NDP congresses were originally held annually, but the party later decided to have the event once every three or four years." New NDP regulations stipulate that party candidates for parliamentary and municipal elections must be elected in an open ballot. "As for the 12 members of the party's politburo, they will be appointed by the party chairman. These appointments, however, must be approved by the party's annual congress," El-Shazli said, noting that the party's chairman will, in cases of necessity, be granted the right to replace members of the politburo and the secretariat-general. Such appointments must also be approved by the party's annual congress. The second day of the congress, consequently, is scheduled to be a busy voting day. The members of the politburo will be named and a vote will be held to ratify their appointment. The party will also conduct the elections for members of the secretariat-general, marking the first time in the party's 24-year history that this leading body is elected. The committees whose proposals comprise the third paper, noted here along with their respective chairs, are: organisational affairs (Kamal El- Shazli), basic principles (Gamal Mubarak and Safwat El-Sherif), young people (Nabih El-Alaqami), women (Fayza Hammouda), health (Samir Diaaie), education (Naguib El-Hilali), economic affairs (Mahmoud Mohieddin) and employment (Sabri El- Shabrawi). Five of these committees will meet on the first day to present their proposals, while the remaining three will meet on the second day. The proposals submitted by some of these committees advocate thoroughgoing changes to Egypt's economic structures. Yomna El-Hamaki, a member of the NDP secretariat-general, said at an NDP rally on 3 September that the NDP believes that the socialist principle of providing public services for free, especially in the health and education sectors, is no longer viable. "The provision of these services for free has led to the deterioration in their quality and, hence, exacerbated the difficulties faced by limited- income citizens in obtaining a good level of education and health care." For this reason, El-Hamaki added, the NDP calls for opening up the health and education sectors to private investment. She also said that the party is dedicated to breaking down barriers standing in the way of women's active participation in political and economic life. On the final day of the conference, Prime Minister Atef Ebeid will deliver a speech on the government's role in implementing NDP proposals. Papers are scheduled to be delivered about improving the performance of the Egyptian economy and enhancing the efficiency of public services. Congress recommendations are scheduled to be announced by NDP Secretary-General Youssef Wali in the final session. That this role will be given to Wali has been taken by political observers to indicate that he will probably continue on as the party's number two man. Wali, along with his two deputies, Kamal El-Shazli and Safwat El- Sherif, are considered the main figures of the party's old guard, which, it has been rumoured, has resisted sweeping changes backed by Gamal Mubarak. In the past two months, the prosecution authorities referred a number of people associated with the old guard to investigation on charges of involvement in a spate of bribery scandals. The most recent of those is the former chairman of Misr Exterior Bank Abdallah Tayel, who, on Monday, was forbidden from leaving the country and is expected to be referred to trial before the Supreme State Security Court on charges of providing hefty loans to a handful of businessmen without adequate collateral against hefty commissions. Gamal Mubarak said last week that the recent spate of corruption scandals clearly demonstrates that leading government figures are not above the law. "I would like to add that you even have to expect new corruption scandals to be revealed by Egypt's administrative control authority in the coming period." Gamal Mubarak is expected to be elected to the newly-created post of NDP assistant secretary-general for modernisation and policies. For their part, major opposition parties are united in the view that the NDP's reforms are hardly a harbinger of democratisation. Hussein Abdel- Razeq, chairman of the leftist-oriented Tagammu Party's political committee, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the internal conflict between "a new generation and old guard" would be more aptly described as a contest for power rather than an indicator that Egyptian politics are being democratised. "The NDP is the president's party. Its leading members insist on harnessing the government's facilities and capabilities to monopolise political life." No'aman Gomaa, chairman of the liberal-oriented Wafd Party, said that political life in Egypt will flourish if and when the NDP stops monopolising power and all political parties enjoy equal opportunities. The first general NDP congress was held in August 1978, while the most recent took place in July 1998.
