September  15, 2002

President Mubarak speech at the inauguration of the National Democratic Party's (NDP) 8th General congress

Members of the General congress,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Brothers and Sisters,

    It gives me pleasure to be with you today at the inauguration of the National Democratic Party's (NDP) 8th General Congress. It comes up in a new form and content that copes with this critical stage of our partisan and political work, and responds to our wish to enhance the party performance and to pursue our march towards political and democratic reform.

    At the outset, I would like to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to you and all the Party members for re-electing me as the chairman of the NDP at this critical stage. This is a source of pride for me, in view of the sense of trust it entails. Trust stimulates us all to exert more joint effort in gratitude to our people and in loyalty for our homeland.

    I would like also to congratulate the new party cadres, including a large percentage of women and youth, already elected from bottom to top positions and are to perform their due role at this critical stage of our national and partisan work.Brothers and Sisters,

    Today's world experiences radical changes leading to major changes in standards used to measure how far nations and peoples are advanced. In the past, economic performance, which reflects on the individual's standard of living and his ability to satisfy his basic needs, was the only criterion used to measure level of advancement.

    Later, several other criteria of increasing importance have emerged. These are primarily associated with the individual and how far she/ he enjoys his basic freedoms, how she/he exercises such freedoms within a collective, national, official and popular framework that guarantees her/his participation in formulating the national approach followed by the state internally and externally.

    This approach is based on a new integrated vision that the individual is simultaneously the pivot, means, and end.

    Hence was our keenness in the NDP on development, not only to keep pace with the increasing international interest in the exercise by individuals of their freedoms in both developed and developing societies, but basically to line up with the advanced stage of our national work. This covers areas of political and democratic reform as well as enhanced mass participation in national political work, within a national framework that safeguards freedom, equality, justice, and ensures participation by all categories of Egyptians in charting and implementing a map of our future work so as to realize our national objectives.

    My call in 2000, to consider the results of the latest parliamentary elections and make the best use of them in the process of development and renovation, had not come from scratch. Those elections proved that there was an urgent need for modern and sophisticated intellectual groundwork that takes into account the successive positive developments in the work of the NDP since its establishment in 1978. This intellectual groundwork should also keep pace with leaps already made in political and economic reform, leading in turn to significant developments in the conceptions of political and partisan work in Egypt.

    The Party's 8th General Congress, in fact, crowns the process of comprehensive development; a responsibility that you, leaderships, cadres and members, have courageously and undauntedly shouldered. This spirit matches up to the increasing popular trust placed in you and in your ability to lead partisan work in Egypt in such a way that lives up to the great expectations of the masses.

    Today, you yourselves will start to discuss and endorse new institutional rules of our work, including new intellectual and organizational groundwork that will govern the Party performance in future. You will also discuss the Party's political guidelines that will form our vision of how to deal with several issues of special interest to the people of Egypt.

    For the first time since the rise of the NDP, you will discuss and endorse new formulae for the Party's basic principles and statute; thus making use of our past experience to give momentum to our future work.

    Needs of the current stage of our political reform work have required new formulae for the Party's basic principles to be proposed. The object for your Congress is to endorse new intellectual groundwork, which serves as the bedrock on which the Party's policies, platforms and mass communication discourse in the coming stage will be based. At the same time, they embody the Party's values that govern its vision of the national work at the internal and external levels alike.

    What we first need to assert in this context is the Party's commitment to the principle of equality in rights and duties irrespective of difference in religion, race or political or intellectual orientations. The Party is also committed to the support of the values of initiative and participation, pursuit of change and development, rejection of extremism and adoption of moderation as an approach to our work towards the aspired-for political, economic and social development.

    The aforesaid goals must, in effect, be pursued within a balance between the interest of society and the individual and respect for basic rights of citizens of all categories. To this end, we are guided by our unshakable belief in the importance of pursuing democracy by promoting respect for the Constitution, the rule of Law, and public freedoms. Emphasis should be made on the principles of transparency and accountability in public, governmental, partisan and national work, freedom of the press and the media and promotion of political participation in all forms and on all levels.

    Our discussions must include how to redouble socio-economic development efforts through optimal application of market economics; how to realize the best distribution and utilization of national and human resources. Discussions will also tackle how to achieve sustainable development goals; thus ensuring environmental protection and social justice and safeguarding the rights of the coming generations. This is to be pursued within a framework of active government - private-sector partnership to attract more national and foreign investments and to increase exports.

    We also must think deeply about reorienting our partisan work in political field towards more positive interaction with the world and regional changes, in a way that serves best our national interests in all political, economic and social fields, protects our national security and sacred soil and helps enhance our relations with all states, peoples and nations at the governmental, partisan and popular levels.

Brothers and Sisters,

    The new formulae proposed to you in the amended statute that you will also discuss and adopt, aim at following a organizxational approach that defines duties and responsibilities of all levels of partisans work. This approach entrenches the role of the party institution, giving dominance to its interests above all other interests. It also strengthens party allegiance and sound party practice.

    It stimulates and motivates all party members to participate in the context of democracy, respect for opposite opinion and acquiescence in the majority's opinion. This approach streamlines election, cadre selection and political education techniques. This can ensure maximum partisan performance from top to bottom. At the same time, this can ensure the aspired-for increased interaction with the broader masses of our people and protect their aspirations and hopes.

    In the context of this new approach, the young generations of Egypt, men and women, should proceed to take up responsibility. We all should prepare for our youth, favorable conditions to crystallize a clear vision of ambitious national partisan work when our past and present are combined with their future aspirations.

    Thus, the fast dynamic pace of partisan work will accelerate to keep pace with the successive changes around us. This can ensure that our national interests are protected, our legitimate rights defended, and our civilization, culture and lofty values of which we are proud amidst nations and peoples, safeguarded.

    Hence comes the increasing importance of deliberation to be made by your Congress of the Party's new policy. Through such deliberations, we will tackle, in open discussions, a number of pivotal internal issues related to our party work. At the same time, such issues have top priority to all categories of our people, especially in the fields of education, economy, and relations with the outside world, youth, woman and health.

    These are only a prelude to other extensive discussions to be pursued on many levels following the close of the Congress.These would give the opportunity for every body to contribute to the building of the nation's future through free democratic participation, which helps formulate the policies and principles to be adopted.

Brothers and Sisters,

    The slogan of the National Democratic Party, "A New Line of Thought", under which our Congress is held today, stresses more than ever that development has become a reality that is gaining more support from all NDP members.

    Thus, I am confident that you all will enrich the deliberations of this Congress through, meaningful, constructive discussions. Through your visions, aspirations and hopes, you will help promote the value of our partisan work and boost the status of your National Democratic Party. However, your responsibilities will not be limited to the approval of the development plan and the winding up of the Congress, but will multiply.

    We still have ahead a long way of hard work to put into effect what we will agree upon in this Congress. This is a new stage of our pursuit of more political reform that can cope with the requirements, thought and organization of the age.

    Through this, we also seek to expand the base of participation inside the Party and in our national work as a whole, forge ahead our course towards the future, consolidate our pivotal role in realizing the expectations of the people of Egypt with all its categories and orientations.

    I am fully confident that this General Congress provides a solid ground for rebuilding our Party, intellectually and organizationally, so as to enable us to shoulder our future responsibilities with efficiency and skill.

May Allah grant us guidance and crown our Congress with success.

May Allah's Peace, Mercy, and Blessing be upon you.