A post-revolutionary roadmap
For Egypt's great revolution to be sustained certain
practicalities have to be addressed, writes
Mohsen Zahran*
The 25 January Revolution may have come as a surprise, but the
writing had been on the wall for some time now. The revolution was the
culmination of many things. The demonstrations on 6 April 2008, the
activities of Kifaya, and the various protests by professional groups
all paved the way.
For the most part, however, it was the young people who started this
revolution. In a country where nearly half the population is aged 15-35,
this should come as no surprise. With college graduates unable to find
decent jobs, resentment has been on the rise.
Some observers note that the 25 January Revolution was mounted by
middle class urban dwellers and had little support outside the major
towns. This may be true, but so what? Most revolutions are spearheaded
by urban dwellers. This was the case with the 1919 Revolution in Egypt,
the 1776 American Revolution, the 1789 French Revolution, and the 1917
Russian Revolution. The more recent Hungarian Revolution in 1956 and the
Polish Revolution in 1971 were no different.
The 25 January revolutionaries agreed on a number of legitimate
demands, including a new constitution, and new parliament. In what
follows, I would like to propose a roadmap for the future, one that
could meet most of the current popular demands.
Here are the main points:
- We need to put together a national plan to develop various parts of
the country, including the previously neglected areas of the western and
eastern deserts.
- A national plan is needed for water and energy. This plan should
take into account the fact that Egypt's limited share of the Nile waters
(55 billion cubic metres) may dwindle in the future. One thing we could
do is to revive the Qattara Depression Project and thus boost both our
water and energy resources. We may also consider building water
desalination stations along the north and eastern coasts. Solar energy
is highly advisable at this point. And while at it, let's cut back on
the energy we use for luxury purposes.
- New laws for land ownership must be passed to encourage settlement
and investment in new areas. If we play our cards right, the new areas
could create a lot of jobs for the young.
- We need to prepare a national plan for self-sufficiency in wheat
and corn. Encroachment on agricultural land for building purposes must
be banned altogether, with stiff punishment for violators. We need to
promote agricultural and urban development in the oases, and we already
have many plans awaiting implementation in this regard. We also need to
revive the Toshka Project, on which billions have already been
spent.
- We need to encourage medium-scale industries as well as small and
micro businesses and move away from short-term consumer-oriented
products. Labour-intensive industries are not such a bad idea if we're
serious about creating jobs.
- The quality of education, at various stages of study, is crucial to
the entire nation. As experience showed in Malaysia and China, better
healthcare and administrative and social services are indispensable to
progress.
- Quality control is essential not only in production but in many
other things. Substandard performance must not be tolerated in
administration, education, manufacturing, or construction. Egyptian
products that reach Arab markets are often unacceptable in quality and
packaging. The quality of road building and construction, in both the
private and public sectors, is deplorable. Chinese products have already
invaded our market. Why? Simply because they are better and cheaper than
ours.
- Supervisory bodies must monitor closely the performances of various
production and service departments. We cannot tolerate substandard
performance. If we're going to increase wages, then we must insist on
workers producing top quality products. Accountability is the
keyword.
- National projects that use foreign capital, whether Arab or Asian
or European, must be encouraged. Meanwhile, our government should invest
in projects that help the taxpayers of this country. Projects requiring
long-term investment, such as roads, bridges, airports and tourist
resorts can be leased to investors for long periods, thus allowing them
to recoup their costs and make profit. The same policy of long-term
leasing should apply to agricultural and industrial activities. To
create jobs and improve our balance of payments, we need to encourage
foreign investment.
- The government should hire people based on their expertise, not
their loyalty to the powers that be. Managers must be encouraged to
speak out and take initiative without fear of retribution. Also,
government officials should refrain from pandering to the public,
especially at elections time, with silly stuff such as the cancellation
of fines or the facilitation of certain procedures. To do so is not only
dishonest, but also conducive to bribery and corruption. There is
nothing wrong with increasing wages so long as productivity increases
too. In the past few years, some ministries and institutions have
increased wages under threat of industrial action, which is wrong.
Management should take the initiative in such matters; it should not
wait until its back is to the wall to do what it knows is right.
A new phase is just beginning, one in which we have to do things
differently and act in good faith. We need to instil a spirit of
commitment and loyalty. We need to let citizens know that the government
is there to serve them, not to serve itself at their expense. The
challenges facing us are great, and the learning curve is going to be
steep, but it's worth it.
* The writer is professor of urban planning at the
University of Alexandria.