CAIRO: The son of the President and head of the policy secretariat at the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) Gamal Mubarak underplayed talk of the inheritance of power after his inclusion in the newly-formed Supreme Committee, which contained a pool of new presidential candidates. In a press conference Monday afternoon, Mubarak played down the question of his succession as president, stating that he had already addressed this issue in the past. Instead, Mubarak said that he preferred to focus his efforts within the party and help the NDP achieve its goals. Mubarak said that he was also focusing on how he can contribute to the NDP's success in the 2010 parliamentary elections. Asked about the lack of integrity in the parliamentary elections, Mubarak defended the process, saying that there were monitoring bodies in place, such as the judiciary and a free press, which would ensure the fairness of the elections. The NDP annual conference opened Saturday, with President Hosni Mubarak re-elected as the chairman of the NDP with 99 percent of the vote. Additionally, Gamal was one of 50 people appointed to the newly-formed Supreme Committee, which under the latest constitutional amendments allows any of the members to be the party's presidential candidate one year from now. The power of the NDP platform stems from an unprecedented rate of economic growth, topping seven percent for the last few years with Egypt pulling out the stops to attract foreign investments. At the same time, plenty of criticism has been aimed at the new liberalization program because it appears to stop at the upper echelons of society. The effects of economic growth are yet to trickle down to average citizens, who contend with soaring prices and higher levels of unemployment. The ruling parties have admitted as much, with Finance Minister Youssef Boutros Ghali saying "There is an unlucky segment of Egyptian society that does not feel the benefits of economic reform. However, there were positives according to Ghali, who said that "teachers had a salary raise of 50 percent, not specifying whether the increase was on the basic or total salary. Minister of Investment Mahmoud Mohieldin said Egypt needed more investment to counter the 1.9 percent population growth rate. "This means that we have more demand for jobs, he said. In his opening speech to the party on Sunday, Gamal sought to offer assurances that a wider cross-section of the populace would begin to see the benefits of economic growth. "The party stresses its commitment to social development highlighting the principle of social justice, he said. He also criticized opposition groups for highlighting certain international reports that were skeptical of the economic boom and others that claim his father's 2005 presidential agenda had not been achieved. "We have accomplished the President s platform and we strive to achieve more, he said, stressing that the party's aim is to reach the average citizen. Prior to the conference, Secretary General of the NDP Safwat El-Sherif denied that there was an internal rift in the party between the new generation - spearheaded by Gamal - and the old guard, who have surrounded his father since he assumed power. "Our party is a melting pot where both old and young work in good spirit, he said in an online conversation with NDP members.
