Dr. Morsi’s Electoral Program – General Features of Nahda (Renaissance) Project

Dr. Morsi’s Electoral Program – General Features of Nahda (Renaissance) Project

It is a great honor that, thanks to the great Egyptian revolution and the honorable martyrs who sacrificed their lives for freedom, we have this opportunity to offer our noble people, our great brothers and sisters in this homeland, Dr. Morsi’s electoral platform "The Egyptian Nahda (Renaissance) Project".

This project and program is the result of a tremendous effort and hard work that lasted well over fifteen years. It aims to re-build the Egyptian person, the Egyptian society and the Egyptian nation, with an Islamic reference and a modern cultural identity for the enlightened, noble people of Egypt.

General Features of Nahda (Renaissance) Project

Nahda Project is based on empowering the people and placing their destinies in their own hands, rather than the hands of a corrupt clique or a ruthless unscrupulous bureaucracy.

The Project aims at bringing forth Egyptian individuals who feel at peace with themselves, their family, work, environment and society at large.

It also aims to build a society whose will is not defeated by that of a brutal state, corrupt regime, or foreign power – a society that occupies its rightful ranking among the world’s nations, a society endowed with lofty values, science and thought in these times of information and knowledge economy and age of creativity and innovation.

The project finally aims to build a state that provides people access to education, healthcare, jobs, investment, and business building opportunities; and protects their rights and dignity within and outside the country.

The project is proposed by the Muslim Brotherhood, which strived throughout eighty years to preserve the identity of this nation, build its strength, and entrench the values of moderation, balance and tolerance in its thought.

Indeed, the Brotherhood believes in upbringing as the methodology of change and work as a means for achievement. It is no wonder that it occupies a special place in the heart of society and is closely connected with the people; aware of their concerns, suffering, and dreams; and adopts their legitimate ambitions for a dignified life in the shade of its tolerant religious beliefs and moral values.

We present this program with firm resolve to restore the positive, pristine image of Egypt whose national, Arab, and international roles were lost under despotism, repression and corruption; whose economy failed due to the oppression and absence of justice; whose sons and daughters lost most of their freedoms upon the collapse of the rights and liberties framework in its entirety; and whose people had no hope for essential equal opportunities due to the corruption that had permeated its body.

We are determined to restore Egypt’s bright image and rightful status which every honorable Egyptian citizen, dreaming of Egypt as a pioneering nation, prides on; the Egypt that was once and will sure become again the civilizational front-runner among nations.

The project favors true democracy and national belonging, with Islam as a reference; and sets out with unpartable Egyptian pride.

We are fully aware that the rejuvenation of a nation cannot be achieved by any single party, sector, group or trend no matter how powerful it is, and that the way to the desired real renaissance is our unity of ranks and determination to achieve comprehensive revitalization and to be ready and willing to bear its heavy burdens and endure its toils and privations. If political gravitations have created big or small distances between us, the pioneering Nahda (Renaissance) Project can bring us back together and unite our efforts.

Believing that he who dedicates himself to public service must clarify his visions and policies to the people, we present to you the following features of the Egyptian Nahda Project with hope that Egyptians of all segments of society will contribute to its evaluation, discussion, and formation – so that it becomes the torch that lights our path towards Modern Egypt.

The Nahda Project Team
 
 
A Vision for Building the Egyptian Nation

Nahda project revolves around three principle stakeholders in Egyptian society: the state, civil society, and the private sector. With the permeation of Egyptian State control and influence in the civil and private sectors, the project establishes reformation mechanisms at the strategic and executive levels, so as to achieve the desired balance between the three stakeholders and their institutions.

The project vision is divided into three levels, according to values and objectives concerning the Egyptian individual, society, and state:

The Value and Thought level describes what Egyptians want or wish for in their daily lives, in terms of values, rights, qualities, and duties, and what they expect from Egyptian society’s various institutions and principal players.

In doing so, this level relies on a vast collection of experiences, specialized and societal studies on laying down an integrated vision for the remaining levels to pursue with the aim of advancing the people civilizationally and curing society from the corruption that has afflicted it throughout the previous time periods.

The Strategy level comprises seven paths aiming to achieve the desired change through complex development plans whose roles are distributed among the stakeholders of the Egyptian nation.

The Executive level transforms these plans into specific groups of projects, reforms, and operational policies divided over three time periods, as an initial step on the road towards the Egyptian Nahda, or comprehensive rejuvenation.

 
The Strategic Level

With the cooperation of a number of research institutions, experts, and both Egyptian and non-Egyptian university professors, development plans were laid out for each strategic path.

Under each objective are a number of projects and executive programs, some of which have entered the implementation phase and others are still under preparation.

The following is a brief review of a few aspects of the major paths:


The Strategic Paths

 

   * Building the political system

  * Transforming into a developmental economy

  * Societal empowerment

  * Comprehensive human resource development

  * Building a safety and security system

  * Achieving regional and international leadership

  * Files under focus

 

 
Building the Political System

1. From completion of the political system, all the way to the deep restructuring of the Egyptian State, transforming it from a dominant State to a State of empowered institutions with clearly marked pillars and specific powers to be respected, and not exceeded.

This process includes establishing the concept of the executive, legislative and judicial authorities complementing one another while emphasizing each authority’s independent performance of its roles.

2. Building a comprehensive network system for fighting corruption, with oversight, legislative and executive powers, recognizing citizens’ right to obtain government information.

3. Approving mechanisms for public monitoring of government performance to guarantee a higher level of transparency and integrity in performance.

4. Enabling all Egyptians to participate in national and political activities rather than limiting this activity to the economic and social elite of Egypt.

5. Reforming laws, legislations, and regulations governing the relationship between State institutions and mechanisms of their management to clarify the responsibilities, powers and competences of each institution and to enhance the State’s ability to facilitate government service for citizens.

6. Applying the principle of participation rather than domination in forming a coalition government representing all political players and stakeholders in Egyptian society to enable us to work together on building the future of Egypt without excluding any principal political party.

7. Activating the role of youth in the political process, beginning with lowering the qualifying age for public office and considering the factors of competence, ability, and desire to work in public service as the major qualification criteria for political jobs.

 
Transforming Into a Developmental Economy

1. Rapid and comprehensive transformation from an income or rentier economy to a productive or value-added economy, within the boundaries of an information and production society, through 100 national projects (each exceeding a billion dollars) guaranteeing the multiplication of Gross Domestic Product in five years at an annual growth rate of 6.5-7%.

2. Reforming the banking system to ensure it performs its principal role in supporting the national economy at different levels, while providing developmentally-appropriate monetary tools to ensure the effective participation of the banking sector in development projects and to ensure its focus on priorities.

3. Developing a program to support small and medium scale enterprises to provide a suitable environment for the advancement and sufficient activation of this economic segment by:

     a. Providing necessary technical support for selecting, developing, and managing these projects.

     b. Providing a training and certification program for the required management and technical cadres.

     c. Providing the financial studies and tools necessary and appropriate for these projects.

     d. Providing a legislative climate that guarantees small scale businesses’ access to full opportunities of fair competition.

     e. Creating societies and syndicates to support this segment.

     f. Providing marketing opportunities and permanent exhibitions.


Societal Empowerment

1. Strengthening and enabling the civil society and institutions to safeguard democracy and preserve Egyptians’ energy so that they never allow the return of State control over this sector. This would be achieved through acknowledgement of the judiciary as the governing reference for this sector.

2. Restoring the role of Endowments and direct and indirect contributions from citizens to ensure financial independence of civil society and to limit the role of the state in coordinating and supporting the different components of this sector. This also includes encouraging and supporting our people, who for long have been deprived of volunteering, through their time or money, in activities for public good.

3. Quick and intensive efforts to save the Egyptian family and encourage civil society to support the family’s mission and educate family members about the present challenges and future requirements.

4. Advancing the media system, codifying the state’s role in the media sector, and unleashing freedom of expression guided by genuine Egyptian values.

 
Comprehensive Human Development

1. Supporting a lifestyle that allows for continuous learning, multi-directional production and satisfactory consumption of basic human needs, and that realizes human dignity.

2. Structuring a comprehensive social justice system that will provide the different social classes with equal opportunities in residence, work, medical treatment, and in exercising their political rights.

3. Adopting a clear project with a time frame to overcome illiteracy and school dropout in cooperation with the state’s civil and private sectors.

4. Dealing with open and masked unemployment and weak competency of the workforce by launching qualitative and quantitative development programs for workers and by applying positive pressure on training, research and scientific institutions in Egypt to nurture development with the needed capacities to reduce the rate of unemployment by 5% every year.

5. Restructuring the Egyptian educational system with three objectives in mind:

    a. Egyptian development map 2025.

    b. Needs and expectations of the workforce.

    c. Aspirations and concerns of youth and students.

 
The educational system must be completely designed around the student; thus shifting the educational strategy from the student’s mere competence in knowledge acquisition to a quality and flexible educational process that provides greater opportunities for Egyptians, and meets the needs of the job market. Such a strategy requires an increase in the educational budget of the state (from 3.3% to the regional ratio of 5.2% of Gross Domestic Product).
 
Building the Safety and Security System

1. Achieving security and regulating its institutions and structuring the police apparatus to maintain domestic security, support Egyptians rights and protect their possessions.

2. Changing the security doctrine of principal institutions in the security sector by supporting the concept of loyalty and belonging to the Egyptian citizen and his safety and security, not to the ruling regime.

3. Increasing the competence, abilities, and strengths of the Egyptian army to protect Egyptian interests at the regional and international levels and to enable Egypt to restore its regional weight.

Achieving Regional and International Leadership

1. Restoring Egypt’s leading role in the region and strengthening international treaties and agreements that will protect the interests of Egyptians internally and externally.

2. Protecting Arab national and Gulf security and pushing Arab-Islamic cooperation to new horizons that would serve the interests of Egypt.

3. Establishing relations with all international parties based on equal footing and common interests, and diversifying the international relations network with African, Asian, and Western ties to help achieve balance in the protection of Egyptian interests in the international arena.

4. Establishing the foundations of equal treatment and codes for Egyptians’ rights outside Egypt and utilizing the potential of Egyptian embassies and their political relations to ease the difficulties and obstacles facing them, from protecting their rights and dignity to being safe havens for them, if needed, while away from the homeland.

 
Files Under Focus

1. Supporting and empowering the Egyptian woman and paving the way for her participation in society, politics, and priorities of national development. This springs from our belief that woman is equal to man in terms of status and that she complements him in his work and tasks.

    a. We seek to empower the Egyptian woman by removing the hindrances that face her fruitful participation in all fields of life in a way that helps the woman achieve a balance between her home and society.

    b.Protection of the Egyptian woman from harassments on Egyptian streets and from all forms of discrimination when applying for public or private job positions.

    c. Give special support to women doing economic activities such as small businesses, and encourage pioneer women managing their own private enterprises.

    d. Changing the negative stance of Egyptian culture regarding women’s political participation by presenting successful role models and figures.
 

2. Restoring the leading role of Azhar as a beacon of the moderate Islamic school of thought and supporting its scientific, educational, managerial, and financial independence and strengthening its ability as a world university attracting the best youth of the Islamic world and as one of Egypt’s external leading wings.
  

3. Fulfilling all our fellow Copts’ rights of citizenship and realizing their full legal equality as Egyptian citizens while maintaining their right to appeal to their religious strictures on matters pertaining to personal status and their religious affairs.

This program includes other items concerning, for example, shifting the licensing procedures for church buildings and worship houses from the presidential institution to the Urban Planning Authority to protect these rights from political abuse by the State.
 

4. Incorporating an integrative bundle of laws and legislations for protection of the environment as well as the environmental rights of Egyptians into all industrial, agricultural, productive, and urban planning sectors and infrastructural projects, so as to restore the required balance between human consumption and the environment’s natural ability to restore its vitality. This file also deals with a number of reform programs, from environmental impact monitoring and assessment mechanisms to incorporating material concerned with environmental awareness into the Egyptian educational curricula.
 

5. Providing financial and urban incentives to encourage Egyptian families living in the slums to make their own decision to move out under no coercion from the state.

 
The first step begins with codifying the legal situation of slum inhabitants, i.e. their legal ownership of buildings they live in, and hence their ability to trade its sale value with an alternative one in the real estate market.


This will require incentives suitable for each area’s residents, from offering moving alternatives, through facilitating home ownership, to providing infrastructure services ahead in new residential areas.

 

In sum, the project relies on respecting the dignity of the Egyptian citizen and his right to own his residential property.