Obituary: Apostle of self-sufficiency (1920-2008) , the chief architect of Egypt's industrialisation in the 1950s, passed away on Friday. In the history of every country there are landmark dates, decisive events that altered economic and social development for good. Sidqi understood that for Egypt 26 July 1952 was one such date: at one time or another a planner, corporate executive, academic and leftist pro-democracy political activist, he believed political solutions had to be found before economic challenges could be resolved. From his office in Zamalek the octogenarian worked diligently on several fronts -- the political, social and economic. He was a great believer in social justice, feeling strongly felt that the government's primary role was to provide people with the prerequisites for a decent standard of living and to give them a sense of dignity. An articulate speaker, Sidqi was a political activist who devoted his life to what he considered the best interests of his country, to which end, two years ago, he founded the National Coalition for Democratic Transformation. Kifaya leader Abdel-Wahab Elmessiri, says that towards the end of his life Sidqi was increasingly "determined to see regime change through peaceful and democratic methods". Sidqi joined Kifaya barely a month ago. "It was during a pro-democracy cultural festival that he delivered a solidarity speech and announced, much to our surprise and joy, he intended to join Kifaya. You can imagine our exhilaration and pride," says Elmessiri. Born in Cairo in 1920, Sidqi grew up under the monarchy but eagerly welcomed the July 1952 Revolution. He graduated in architecture from Fouad I (now Cairo) University in 1944. In 1946 he earned a doctorate degree in planning from the University of Harvard. After a stint as an architect, in 1951 Sidqi embarked on an academic career, teaching at the University of Alexandria. In 1953 he was appointed as special technical advisor to the prime minister and quickly rose through the ranks to become Egypt's first minister of industry (1956-63). Sidqi was re-appointed as minister of industry and as deputy prime minister, serving in the posts from 1964 to 1965 and again from 1968 to 1971. All in all, Sidqi spent 22 years of his life as a cabinet minister, a record of which he was proud. They were years in which he presided over a policy of rapid industrialisation. Factories were erected across the country and the infrastructure of Egypt developed as road networks were hastily constructed. In 1957, when the National Planning Committee (NPC) assumed full responsibility for economic planning Sidqi, fresh from Harvard, was appointed a member. He used to boast that he had closed down the Lancashire cotton and textiles factories in Britain which used to import fine- quality raw Egyptian cotton and then export cotton textiles to Egypt at exorbitant prices. The heady days of the 1960s suited Sidqi's temperament. He was a man of action and took pride in his work, genuinely believing in his mission and in the cause of the 1952 Revolution. His mentor was Gamal Abdel-Nasser, who gave his protégé a free hand to demonstrate his ingenuity, professionalism and organising skills. Sidqi welcomed the construction of the Aswan High Dam and its associated hydro electricity generators, realising that electrification was the essential cornerstone of industrialisation. Sidqi was also committed to creating a large pool of skilled labour, initiating many vocational training courses to improve the skills of blue-collar workers. His goal was to create a self-sustaining economy. The first phase of industrialisation was based on strengthening and supporting primary and secondary industries -- textiles and food processing -- based on the country's agricultural produce. But Sidqi was determined to change the agrarian base of the Egyptian economy. Under his guidance local industry began to fill domestic demand for consumer goods. Initially light industries were encouraged, followed by a proliferation of heavy manufacturing plants producing iron and steel, vehicles and electronic goods. Sidqi had to start almost from scratch in building the foundations of an industrial state and was instrumental in devising and implementing the five-year plan (1960-65). Foreign participation in Egypt's industrialisation drive was minimal -- in the 1950s and 1960s investment from overseas was out of the question -- though Egypt did request, and receive, some technical assistance, mainly from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Indeed, in the late 1950s Sidqi was dispatched to Moscow as head of a large Egyptian economic and trade delegation. On 28 January an agreement of cooperation was signed with the Soviet Union. Western loans were prohibitively expensive and Western donors exacting. The Soviet Union, on the other hand, asked for no downpayment. The dynamics of international politics were radically different in the Cold War period and Sidqi cast in a very different mould than today's pro- Western politicians. Later in his life he was a vociferous critic of those who place blind faith in the free market. Sidqi came to the fore when the peoples of the Third World had few doubt that American imperialism -- US penetration of the markets of developing countries -- could be of no help to their economies. During the period in which Sidqi served as a minister the state controlled all key sectors of the economy. Sidqi dismissed the process of privatisation. He mistrusted capitalist development and insisted on a restricted role for private and foreign capital compatible with his socialist ideals. He gave Nasser much credit for the industrial achievements of the 1960s though in the end he ascribed its success to the professionalism and dedication of the labour force. Sidqi was a scathing critic of the late president Anwar El-Sadat's infitah, or open-door policy, initiated in the 1970s. Privatisation he dismissed as a "piece of cheap opportunism". Highly critical of the consumerist economy of contemporary Egypt, Sidqi regreted the demise of the production-oriented economy he fostered. What hurt him the most was the closing down of thousands of factories and the laying off of hundreds of thousands of workers. By Gamal Nkrumah
