Q & A With Amre Moussa

Q  With a voter constituency that appears to be increasingly Islamist in tendency, how do you see yourself working with the popular Islamic trend that has now taken over the People’s Assembly and the Shura Council? A  The Muslim Brotherhood represents a plurality in Parliament, and the president must recognize the will of the voters. We — that means all political parties — must focus on the future of our country and meeting the needs of our citizens. Our challenges are too great to divide into factions. Differences exist, but we will find common ground in achieving our larger goal of building a better Egypt. Q Where do you see Egypt compared to the rest of the world, and where would you like to take it? A Our focus must be Egypt first, by committing to the principles of the revolution: change, democracy, and development. We will create an Egypt that is prosperous, secure, and influential. Economically, Egypt must replace poverty with prosperity and achieve high rates of growth from a diversified economy that benefits all Egyptians. This takes time, but we must create a healthy business climate — cutting red tape, attracting investment, reforming the financial sector and monetary policy, building infrastructure, and creating a modern labor market that rewards hard-working Egyptians. If we focus on reaching our goals, we will become a model for other countries. Q Within the Middle East and the Arab world, who do you see emerging as a regional leader? Some predict it will be Turkey or Iran. How do you feel about this? A The Arab world will not be led by Turkey or Iran; it has to be led by the Arab countries themselves. And Egypt, as the largest Arab country, should have a leadership role in that regard. This will require a new type of leadership in the 21st century — you cannot lead if you are not advanced technologically; you cannot lead if you have no real development program.   Associated Press Q Now that unemployment in Egypt is more than 12%, how are you planning to tackle this issue? A Addressing Egypt’s unemployment problem, especially among the youth, is a top priority. Unemployment is structural, so there is no silver bullet that will resolve the issue tomorrow. Our economy needs to create 1 million jobs every year just to employ new entrants to market. Solving unemployment requires a comprehensive strategy which I have laid out in my platform. In the short term, the state will play a major role in meeting the needs of the unemployed and underemployed, such as unemployment benefits, training, and need-based subsidies. It includes an immediate injection of government investment in laborintensive infrastructure, and stimulating industrial growth. In the medium and long-term, clearly business as usual is not enough. We need an employment-led growth that is both sustainable and diverse, encourages entrepreneurship and creates jobs. My platform proposes cutting unemployment rates by half, especially among the youth. The strategy includes improving competitiveness in agri-business, industry, services and tourism. It also includes laying the foundation for a “new economic map of Egypt” that goes beyond the narrow valley and spreads across the country to create jobs in projects funded by the public and private sector. One project worth highlighting is turning the Suez Canal Corridor into an international logistics hub, similar to Rotterdam. The strategy also calls for empowering micro, small and mediumsized enterprises. In parallel is building an Egyptian educational system for the 21st century which provides our future workforce with the skills to compete. Q What do you see as the main problems with the budget, and how do you plan to make up for the deficit, particularly given that Egypt has lost a considerable amount of foreign direct investment over the last year? A What we are facing today is a twin deficit in government budget and the balance of payments. No one should underestimate our challenge or its impact on Egyptian citizens, particularly the most vulnerable. We will adopt a full-fledged strategy that caters to the immediate, medium, and long-term needs. First, we must have a stable government, which restores confidence among citizens, investors, and tourists. We must make clear Egypt’s future lies in the free market and sends the signal that Egypt is open for business. I also intend to put my experience with Arab and foreign leaders to use by securing the funding necessary to close the huge financial gap, currently between $9-12 billion. In the medium and long term, I intend to stop the hemorrhaging of the national economy and restore economic growth. We will reduce the budget deficit from 10 percent to 4 percent and the ratio of public debt to GDP from 80+ percent currently to 60 percent by the end of my term. I will rebuild Egypt’s foreign reserves to achieve the financial space necessary to meet internal or external pressures. We must rethink government and create a financial system immune to corruption. My platform includes many initiatives and ideas, including merging ministries and creating a modern budget process. Additionally, we must decentralize power to enable local governments to decide how best to meet local challenges. I have plans to overhaul public spending, rationalize energy subsidies, invest in quality education and healthcare, and reform policy toward government employees and civil service. They also include tax reform and efficient management of the Suez Canal and oil resources. Q Recent court rulings to reverse some of the privatization deals made under the previous regime have arguably had a tremendous negative impact on attracting more investments. Would you choose to proceed with privatization initiatives or do you have a different strategy? A Privatization has become a red herring because in the past it was done in a grossly unfair manner. My approach to dealing with state-owned enterprises draws on the successful experience of countries such as Sweden, Malaysia and Singapore. It is based on establishing a mega holding company to which the ownership of assets of various state-owned companies are transferred. The company would act independently and have the authority to run the companies on sound economic principles including protecting the rights of workers. Most importantly, when dealing with privatization, we must remember these are ultimately the assets of our people. Q What ‘national projects’ will you endorse or bring to the table to help generate income and ensure better living conditions for citizens? A I prefer the term “mega projects” because while acting with realism, we must think big. One of the foundations of my vision is to draw a new economic map for the country. I want to lay the foundation for a strong, healthy, durable and diverse economy that can provide good jobs to all 85 million Egyptians. And I’ve laid out plans in my platform to expand the percentage of economically viable land. I have plans for three mega projects: the Suez Canal area, comprehensive development of Sinai, and creating agri-business, tourism, logistical services and solar power generation along the Northwestern Coast.   Q Education is arguably the service sector in most need of attention at the current time. Do you agree with this, and how will you go about first identifying the problem points and then coming up with solutions. What, if anything, are you planning along the lines of scientific research? A First, we must end illiteracy among those under 40 in the next four years, ending a cycle of unemployment and poverty among our largest demographic group. Our educational system, the foundation of our future, must be rebuilt from pre-school through college to provide our children with the skills they need to compete in the 21st century by increasing spending on educa-tion to match world standards of 25% of the GDP, and making sure money is properly spent by decentralizing decision-making — providing each child with free, quality education. We must modernize curricula and schools, incorporating IT and raising teaching standards and provide our future workforce with the specialized skills needed to rebuild our economy. We must improve our economic competitiveness by stimulating scientific research, providing increased funding and private sector incentives for R&D initiatives outlined in a new national plan, and encouraging foreign tech transfer. We also must keep top Egyptian scientists home by providing quality facilities, research budgets, and competitive salaries. Q Freedoms and rights are another point of contention. What stance will you take toward freedom of expression and minority rights? A We can all be proud of the January 25 Revolution, when Egyptians could once again raise their heads high. We succeeded together, and must remember that together we are one nation. We will guarantee citizenship rights in the Constitution, providing equal opportunity and prohibiting all forms of discrimination against Copts and women. We will work to foster a culture of citizenship thorough education and the media, banning religious incitement by law, and protecting the freedom of worship. We must also ensure equal rights and fair treatment for women by providing constitutional and legal protection of their rights and their dignity. That includes protecting the political rights of women by issuing ID cards to all Egyptian women, encouraging female candidates,and increasing representation in state institutions. It also includes ending discrimination in the job market, and punishing sexual harassment and other crimes against women. Finally, we must also recognize that 35% of households are primarily supported by women, and for those homes we must protect access to social security and health insurance and expand cash transfer programs.   Q Which brings us to national security. Obviously this is what’s affecting people’s lives right now. What are your plans to deal with this issue? A Restoring stability and security is a priority, for both personal safety and the health of the economy. But security needn’t be provided at the expense of personal freedom and the fair application of the law. We must begin by immediately ending the Emergency Law. We must then work to raise the professional standards of police and focus its work on maintaining order for the people and lawful police work, not traffic enforcement or other duties. This requires overhauling the Police Academy by focusing on a civilianbased apparatus, separating it from national security. But we must always be guided by the principle that the police exist to protect peoples’ rights. Human rights must be guaranteed in the Constitution and clearly stated in the law.. Q In terms of foreign policy, the biggest problem areas remain the United States and Israel. What change, if any, will you want to see in our relations with these two superpow- ers? Closer to home, and given your experience at the Arab League, how would you want to develop relations with the Arab world and Africa. And what about Asia? A The issue isn’t the United States, Israel or any country — and I definitely do not see Israel as a superpower. Let’s focus on Egypt, not other nations. Change in Egypt and the Arab world requires a new foreign policy that integrates Egypt’s Arab, Islamic and African identity. We must recognize the importance of Egyptians abroad and appreciate their unique experiences in business, culture, education and scientific research. They are a national asset and we must recognize that fact. We must also begin protecting our strategic interests and promoting stability, starting with Egypt’s historical duty to defend the Palestinian cause by providing diplomatic, political, economic and legal assistance to the Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle to gain independence within the June 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Egypt must lead in laying the foundation for an Arab scientific, cultural and societal renaissance, and create a new Middle East order based on joint security among countries in the region, including reaching a final, just and comprehensive settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict on all tracks and ridding the region of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction. We also must reconfirm Egypt’s African and Islamic ties, improve relations with Europe, and reset relations with the US on a new basis of mutual interests and respect. We will not ignore the vital issues of water, food and energy security. And we will make economic and social development and trade a fundamental part of foreign policy. Q The amended Constitution, once issued, may actually limit your licenses to introduce or implement any of your plans. Your thoughts on this matter? A The Constitution must take into account the concerns of all Egyptians, and I will fight to make sure that it does. It is fundamental that human rights — in worship, speech and dignity — are protected for all citizens. I support a presidential system that balances executive and legislative powers and provides a presidential term of four years with a maximum of two terms. Q What do you say to the popular demand to make the Armed Forces accountable to the civilian government? A On July 1, the Armed Forces will return to focusing on its primary mission: protecting the homeland. That is their role and sacred mission. The armed forces will always be the nation’s shield in confronting its enemies, and as such I lend no support to those Who want to bring this important institution down.   The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, acting in its temporary political capacity, has committed mistakes, but this does not mean undermining our armed forces. But like any other democracy, the military will have to be accountable to the civilian authority. Q What would you say to detractors who believe that you hail from the old regime and rather than working toward a ‘better Egypt’ will return the nation to what is was pre-Revolution? A I served Egypt with distinction and honor in every position I was entrusted with. Not even my harshest critics can deny that. During my tenure as foreign minister, no country ignored, sidelined or belittled Egypt as has happened in the last 10 years. I worked on behalf of my nation, and fought for it with pride with an independent voice. Q This is a country of more than 85 million people, some of whom will not vote for you. How will you, in this age of experimental democracy, accommodate your non-supporters? A I am running for president to work on behalf of all Egyptians. In a democratic society, we will frequently differ on policy and issues, but we must all — regardless of whom we support — work together after the election to make a better Egypt.