IN an exclusive interview with The Egyptian Gazette, Amr Moussa, the former presidential candidate and the head of the Egyptian Congress Party (ECP), outlined his wise vision and policies for solving the country's problems. Moussa, a prominent member of the Constituent Assembly, tasked with writing the country's first post revolution Constitution , seeks to build a constitution that will fulfil the desires and ambitions of the whole of Egypt. Mr Moussa said that the security situation has improved and become better than before. “But it has not reached the level we all want," he added. Moussa said that the practice of democracy should not be limited to the bicameral parliaments, as it should also include the municipal councils. "I suggest creating village, district, city and governorate councils. The members of these councils should be selected in impartial elections. The minimum age of the candidates should be 21, in order to give young people the chance to take part in political life," he stressed. “Imagine a young man being elected to the village council and helping to solve the problems of his village for four years. Then he has the chance to spread his wings, if he is elected to the town council for another four years and then the governorate for four further years. “Such a man will have a lot of energy and also a lot of experience of the problems of villages, towns and governorates, enabling him after that to run in the parliamentary elections, in order to meet the needs and fulfil the desires of the people in his constituency. “In so doing, we will have a lot of young, skilled people capable of serving the country in all fields in an impartial manner." Moussa, an old stager in Egyptian politics, stated that the most important article in the Egyptian Constitution is the one relating to the local and municipal councils, since local municipalities are concerned with the basic requirements of ordinary citizens in every walk of life. He also called for applying the system of decentralisation in governance. “There should be an elected mayor for every village, an elected head of town and an elected governor. They should serve for a maximum of two terms of four years each, so that we can keep on pumping new blood into the arteries of political life. “This would also allow for more representation for women and Copts on these councils, opening up new realms for effective participation, with the aim of better serving society and the entire country," he commented. Moussa said that the Constitution should satisfy the ordinary citizen and make provision for the reform of the municipalities and local councils, as they are riddled with corruption. The bespectacled former Foreign Minister and Arab League chief says that one of the priorities in his election programme for his first 100 days in office (had he been elected President) would have been to establish workshops in all fields, such as education, healthcare, industry, agriculture and energy, with the help of skilled specialists. “There should be co-operation and coordination to redress the defects as soon as possible. We should recruit experts to help us urgently solve all the problems facing the country in every field. “According to my programme, at the end of the 100 days, these workshops would present their recommendations and request the money needed for them, based on the reports of the Egyptian experts. Then there would be a further 100 days, to give time for forming Parliament and the Cabinet," he continued. Moussa also spoke about the State's subsidies for basic commodities which are a matter of great concern for tens of millions of people. He said that it is impossible for the Government to cancel the subsidies, asthey are vital for so many ordinary citizens. He added that the subsidies must be fairly and justly distributed, with guarantees that they reach those who are in the direst need of them. Moussa warned that replacing the subsidies with money being given to citizens, as some people suggest, would lead to more inflation and basic commodities becoming even more expensive, placing yet another burden on the shoulder of the people. “The Government should suggest a plausible plan for abolishing subsidies on items that are of no concern to the ordinary people, such as Octane 92 and 95 [kinds of petrol], as well as lifting the subsidies on the gas cylinders delivered tofactories and large institutions," he commented. The veteran former Arab League chief also touched on the lack of training for journalists and management structure for their institutions. He proposed that workers and journalists should possess shares in the papers they work for, so that everyone feels a responsibility towards them. Meanwhile, the papers should be removed from State control, so they can express themselves more freely.
