Following his return from the US Gamal Mubarak embarked on a well publicised trip to some of Egypt's poorest villages, reports Gamal Essam El-Din Social justice and improving the standard of living in Egypt's poorest villages, once again top the agenda of Gamal Mubarak, the 45- year-old son of President Hosni Mubarak and chairman of the ruling National Democratic Party's (NDP) Policies Committee. Mubarak used a visit to the village of Nazlit Al-Qadi in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Sohag on 27 March to announce the future direction of a three-year development and social justice programme intended to improve conditions in 1,000 of the country's poor villages. "The three-year programme was designed in May 2007 to improve living conditions in Egypt's poorest villages," said Mubarak. He indicated that villages will be provided with potable water and drainage facilities, ambulance and emergency services, primary education, housing and roads alongside social network facilities. The 1,000 poorest villages in the NDP programme were selected by a study prepared by the Ministry of Economic Development, in cooperation with the World Bank and UN Development Fund. The study identified five governorates -- Sohag, Beni Sweif, Minya, Assiut and Fayoum -- as home to the 150 villages included in the pilot scheme. Mubarak said that development programmes in the villages will incorporate birth control campaigns. "Development is no longer limited to providing potable water and other facilities but also includes fighting runaway population growth in the poorest villages," he said, adding that he had been shocked to find that the average family size in the villages included in the scheme was 10. "Birth control programmes do not contradict religious values," Mubarak told his audience. The NDP study, he continued, had identified that 80 per cent of Egypt's poorest lived in the countryside and that the majority were illiterate. He was optimistic that within five years 40 per cent of those identified as being among the poorest in the selected villages would be raised out of poverty. In the face of the financial global downturn he insisted that the government of Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, in cooperation with the NDP, remained committed to social solidarity programmes for the neediest families in rural Egypt. "The 2009/2010 budget will provide governorates with additional cash subsidies. Governorates, in coordination with city councils and village units, will be left free to set their own priorities as far as these subsidies are concerned." The allocations will include a component allowing cash advances to families which Mubarak said would help absorb the shock of the global financial crisis on the Egyptian countryside. During his visit to Nazlit Al-Qadi Mubarak was keen to meet with small-holders. He argued that the global financial meltdown would inevitably have a negative impact on the economic conditions of farmers in Egypt. "Farmers will face other problems, such as lack of fertilisers and irrigation water," he added. In response to the challenges they face, President Mubarak has ordered that small-scale farmers be relieved of 50 per cent of their debts to the Principal Bank of Development and Agricultural Credit. In return, Gamal Mubarak urged farmers to "do their best to raise the productivity of their land to boost their income". Mohamed Abdel-Salam El-Mahgoub, minister of state for local development, indicated that the 1,000 poorest village programme will ultimately cost LE3.8 billion. "This amount is part of the state budget and aims to turn poor villages into more productive and self- dependent units." El-Mahgoub added that governorates will also receive LE1 billion in cash subsidies earmarked for fast-return projects. Minister of Agriculture Amin Abaza said the government will pay farmers more for crops in the new fiscal year in order not to leave them a prey to price fluctuations on world markets. He stressed that "President Mubarak's orders are clear... insolvent farmers will not go to jail and be relieved of half of their debts". Minister of Housing Ahmed El-Maghrabi indicated that supplying poor villages with sanitary drainage facilities is his top priority. "In three years poor villages will be covered with a network of sanitary drainage facilities and potable water services," said El-Maghrabi, indicating that these projects will cost LE7 billion and adding that the ministry will also focus on building more elementary schools in poor villages. "We hope that at the end of this programme the number of students per class will not exceed 40." Mubarak's visit to the US earlier in March, combined with his increasingly influential role in Egypt's political stage, has predictably raised intense debate. Independent newspapers complain his visits to poor villages aim to obliterate public perceptions that his sympathies lie with the business community. Gamal Zahran, an independent MP and professor of economics and political science at Suez Canal University, goes so far as to charge that the NDP's 1,000 poorest villages programme was itself created to allow Mubarak to promote a different image. "You will notice that in all of his visits he is keen that the official media take photos of him with poor farmers. This is designed to offset earlier perceptions of him surrounded always by business tycoons and wealthy investors," said Zahran. Gamal Mubarak insists that his visits to poor villages are part and parcel of his job as chair of the NDP Policies Committee. In an interview with Orbit satellite channel on Tuesday he said his job in the party required him to meet people in the field and to see for himself how NDP policies affect their lives on the ground. "Without these face-to-face meetings we will never be able to develop a realistic understanding of the problems facing people," he said. "I am working in an open society and I am ready to have a dialogue on this issue but whatever happens nothing will stop me from continuing these visits." Answering a question about his future plans, and who the NDP's candidate in 2011 presidential elections might be, Mubarak said the ruling party's emphasis now is on preparing for parliamentary elections next year. "We have elections for the People's Assembly and Shura Council and we cannot choose a presidential candidate in 2011 without first facing parliamentary elections in 2010." Last month's visit to the US was, he said, very important. "I went there to develop contacts with a country in a state of change. There is a new Congress and I met with some of its members to hear about what is going on in America at the domestic level and how they plan to deal with the financial crisis and countries like Iran and Afghanistan." "The US is facing new challenges and has a new vision for dealing with international and Arab issues." To the surprise of many, Mubarak said the proliferation of strikes and sit-ins in Egypt was a healthy and normal development. "This is a phenomenon facing countries in a state of political transition. If you want to start a major transformation, you should expect resistance, know where you want to go and what price you will have to pay." Gamal Mubarak also said he had had bigger hopes for the performance of the Egyptian football team against Zambia. "On my way back from the match [which ended in a 1-1 draw] I felt disappointment, but in sports you should always have a sense of optimism."
