Gamal Essam El-Din reports on last week's encounter between and hundreds of Internet users The first online encounter between , the 46- year-old son of President Hosni Mubarak and chairman of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) Policies Committee, and hundreds of Internet users, provoked a predictably mixed bag of reactions. The dialogue, conducted via the NDP website www.sharek.com.eg, saw Mubarak answering 60 questions, selected by NDP moderators from the more than 250 received. They ranged across a host of issues, from the 28-year-old emergency law, corruption, the problems facing Egyptian Copts and unemployment to relations with America. According to NDP statistics the 12 August open dialogue attracted more than 12,000 participants. "Because the number of those wanting to take part was so large and the questions so sensitive the dialogue, scheduled for two hours, lasted for more than three hours," announced sharek website. In the presence of Mohamed Kamal, the NDP's secretary for indoctrination, and Minister of Higher Education Hani Hilal, Mubarak responded to questions saying he was "optimistic about the future of Egypt" and arguing that the last five years had witnessed several significant developments. The dialogue was coordinated by Abdel-Latif El-Manaway, NDP member and head of Egyptian TV Channel One's News Department. "Some see recent developments as a sign of internal tension and political conflict while I view them as a prelude to comprehensive political reform," said Mubarak. He argued that Egypt is now in a period of transition: "I hope that by the end of this transitional period Egypt will have three main political parties with popularity enough to create a competitive and healthy political life." Opposition, he argued, forms an integral part of political life in Egypt. "Besides," he added, "efforts are underway to upgrade the voting process to encourage greater participation in elections." The problems faced by Egyptian Copts, he continued, can only be addressed through open dialogue. "It is not in the interest of Copts to allow anyone at home or outside to exploit their problems for political ends," he warned. Mubarak praised the 28-year-old emergency law, arguing that "it was the main tool that stemmed the tide of terrorist acts in Egypt", and argued that the proliferation of high-profile corruption cases showed that "supervisory agencies are doing their best to uproot corruption". "It is frustrating that resistance to change in society is still so strong but I have high hopes that young people like you will one day assume leading positions and implement change," he said, acknowledging nonetheless that he is aware that a large number of young people feel pessimistic about the future. Mubarak also answered questions on education, scientific research, industry, health, Nile water, the Arab Israeli conflict and poverty in Egyptian villages. Independent critics and opposition parties were quick to note that ignored questions about his future role in Egyptian politics. Abdallah El-Sinnawi, editor of Al-Arabi, the weekly mouthpiece of the Arab Nasserist Party, argues that Mubarak is seeking to tread the same path as US President Barack Obama. "He wants to do what Obama did, seeking popularity among young people and sending them a message that he is a dynamic leader, open to criticism and optimistic about the future," El-Sinnawi told the Weekly. Al-Wafd, the mouthpiece of the liberal-oriented Wafd Party, insisted that "the road to the presidency does not begin with Facebook and sharek, but from contact with poor people in villages, and unemployed young men in towns and cities." Senior Al-Ahram columnist Salama Ahmed Salama also believes is adopting the same strategies of Barack Obama. "Obama used the Internet as a promotional tool in his presidential campaign and it is widely believed in America that his online interviews with young people attracted much support." Salama questions whether the same results will happen in Egypt, where most young people are "convinced the NDP is resistant to change and reform and stands in favour of maintaining the status quo". Mustafa Elwi, a professor of political science in Cairo University and a member of NDP's Policies Committee, asks why the NDP and should not use the Internet to reach out to young people. "The Internet is awash with anti-NDP bloggers who have been dominating cyberspace since the Egyptian blogosphere began to flourish during the presidential elections in 2005," says Elwi. "It is surely in the interests of everyone for the NDP to use the same tools to open a dialogue with angry young people." The social networking website Facebook received more than 300 comments on Mubarak's online dialogue. While the majority could detect little difference between the president's son and the NDP's old guard, others said it was too early to pass judgement. (see Salama A Salama p.15)
