Khaleej Times
Ahmed Mokhtar
- The current composition of the parliament, which enjoys a great deal of diversity, is likely to put its weight behind the articulate policies of the government.
The government of Egypt, headed by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, presented its developmental agenda before parliament, which is tantamount to seeking a vote of confidence. Observers say parliament’s support to the cabinet policies will usher in a new era of confidence, and help the government tackle tricky issues in a more holistic manner. The government has already adapted to new challenges and had reshuffled the services sector.
The current composition of the parliament, which enjoys a great deal of diversity, is likely to put its weight behind the articulate policies of the government. The cabinet already enjoys a free hand in taking uphill decisions, which it believes are necessary for the progress of the nation. Which is why no party member in the parliament has called for making ministerial changes.
This new cooperation will help in addressing the pending business before the legislature and the executive, which was there because the government was run through presidential ordinances before the formation of parliament. The Egyptian constitution stipulates that such laws and orders should be discussed by the parliament within 15 days after its convention.
The parliament and the government have a role to play as they represent the dreams and wishes of their electorate. The sooner they get back to real business, the better.
People in remote areas have suffered for decades from negligence and lack of economic and social development. Those citizens also bear consequences of the current economic conditions that Egypt suffers from. Members of the parliament have the responsibility of facilitating public services that dispossessed areas need, and this makes it harder for them to balance their legislative role along with the role of offering services. The moment the legislative backlog is cleared, the parliament will be in a better position to take up developmental issues for their constituents.
Moreover, most citizens approach their legislators for getting their demands fulfilled because they feel it is their responsibility as political players, especially as Egyptians have been paying for the price of political turmoil over the last five years.
Such a feeling by the people should be a warning to the government and the parliament, and drive them to reorder their priorities to give hope to the citizens who want better economic conditions. The most important step here would be reining in high prices of goods.
Legislative and executive powers must ensure that they have a common interest, especially in new laws that the government will present before the parliament such as regulation of the Press law, and the local council elections law.
Since the parliament and the government do not believe in confrontation, they will have to chalk out an agenda of interaction at the earliest for the betterment of the people and in the larger interest of democracy. Then only the parliament will be in a position reflect the dreams and hopes of citizens, and ensure harmony between legislature and executive organs of the state.
Egyptians surely appreciate all the economic projects being carried out, such as the Suez Canal development project, and the establishment of a modern network of roads and housing units. They appreciate that but at the same time worried about unemployment, inflation and the chaos in local markets, as well as the economic hardships of the whole Arab region, which makes it harder for Egypt to recover economically. This requires speeding up projects and attracting more foreign investments that can offer job opportunities.
