Citizenship rights and democracy
Get involved in general policy making
Strongly embracing the belief in the importance of sprucing up party work to be up to the challenges it meets, the NDP has adopted a novel way of engineering policies within that stems from its basic system.
This way aims to clear the path for a broader space of dialogue that heralds a rich set of suggestions and ideas about targeted policies.
On the other hand, this way aims to ring in more participation in framing party policies in a way that fosters democratic practices and the institutional structure of the party.

The new way also opens the door to infusing fresh ideas that enhance the party's comprehensive vision for the best benefit of national work.

The basic system of the party sketches out the norms galvanising participation in the framing of general policies.

The issue under discussion is introduced to the annual Conference of the party for it to lay out the general keynotes about it.

The annual Conference refers the issue to the Policies Secretariat for it to make a thorough study of it through the following procedures:

  • The Policies Secretariat makes a detailed study of the general policy proposals the General Assembly refers to it in the light of the recommendations of the party's annual Conference to make its suggestions regarding them.
  • The Policies Secretariat's Supreme Policies Council makes a study of the issue and its effects on society at large.
  • Specialised policies committees make a technical study of the issue and present their vision in the form of executive policies to be put to effect by certain executive bodies within an identified timetable.
  • This executive vision is then referred to the Policies Secretariat again.
  • The issue is referred then to the party's secretariats in the various governorates for them to study it and the chairperson of each governorate secretariat then refers the whole matter to the Policies Secretariat again.
  • The Policies Secretariat makes its final report about the issue and refers it to the General Assembly, which presents it to the annual Conference.

  • The party will continue to go along the same strategy during the forthcoming annual Conference by presenting issues of national concern for debate.
Three important issues: citizenship rights and democracy, present and future of the transportation sector and preserving agricultural land and trends of urban growth, will be debated during the Conference.
First, introduction
The NDP is easy in its mind about citizenship being the pillar of total equality among Egyptians as far as rights and duties are concerned in the light of its basic principles.

It also pins its faith on the principle of equal opportunity for all citizens without the least discrimination because of colour, sex, religion or beliefs.
It uses its best endeavours to secure basic rights -be they civil, social, economic or political- for citizens considering them human rights in the first place.

The NDP perceives economic reform and the modernisation of educational, health, population, transportation, communication services as well as creating more job openings for graduates and increasing the participation of women in all fields as continual challenges that need creative and unrelenting work to be met.

The NDP also tries its best to keep moving along the way of democracy and bolster all forms of political participation.
The party knows for certain that a full judicial supervision over the election is a step forward that boosts Egypt's democratic pursuits.

NDP initiatives for establishing the National Council for Human Rights, abolishing State Security Courts and abolishing hard labour sentences highlight the principles the NDP endorsed in its eighth general conference.
These precepts arise from a deeply rooted faith in the importance of democracy and general freedoms.

The party spares no effort in bolstering these principles to make citizens have trust in the electoral process as a whole spurring them to participate.
At the same time, it advances the principles of equality, on the one hand, the state's respect for citizenship rights on the other.
The NDP holds the role of the state in putting social equality into action and achieving sustainable development on the one hand and creating a public participation-friendly atmosphere on the other to be extremely important.
It holds as important also the presence of freedom and plurality being accompanied with responsibility on the part of citizens and society at large within the framework of the partnership the party wants to hatch between the state and society.

Banking on the belief that real democracy is never realized if not based on a strong political participation, the NDP emphasizes that desired advances never happen unless citizens take on credit the importance of their participation in the development of the local community, honouring their national duties, being committed to law, protecting public properties, preserving the environment and taking part in general elections.

Though phase I of economic reform program, during which the NDP has adopted difficult options and sided with pragmatic policies with definite objectives, has succeeded, there is still a gap between citizens' rights, their aspirations and basic needs and their social reality and what the state can offer them in terms of jobs and services.
In spite of the efforts done in the fields of education and health services these two particular fields are in for myriad challenges relating to the need to polish their qualities and ring up the curtain for needed investments for their modernization.

Getting a job with a stable income that secures family prospects has become one of the biggest challenges facing the graduates of Egypt; a challenge the NDP takes as a priority on the agenda of its economic reform programs and policies.
On the other hand, economic and social transformation policies so far have not opened the door for a friendly atmosphere for increasing citizens' participation in decision-making as far as their daily life problems are concerned.
Abstaining from participation has become one of the hurdles society must overcome on the way of democracy.

Though there happened considerable increases in participation rates during the 2000 parliamentary polls while judicial supervision over the election brought citizen's trust in the electoral process back home, those who went to the ballots did not exceed 24.

1 per cent of the voters registered in voter registers.
In the municipal council polls of 2002, those who went to the polling stations did not exceed 42.
4 per cent of overall registered voters.
The voter abstention scenario in the parliamentary and municipal council elections is also repeated in the case of elections of the professional syndicates, cooperatives and civil societies.
The situation is also the same as far as development efforts on the level of the local community are concerned.

Therefore, boosting the relationship between citizens and the state is one of the top priorities of the NDP.
This aims at increasing citizens' participation and trust in the various state apparatus.
Though there happened a political and economic transformation in Egypt during the last three decades espoused by a relentless state effort to deal with all the challenges that popped up yet the policies that regulated the reform process are still not clear to some social classes.

The roles of both the state and citizens should play and the relationship governing them is an issue that is not clear to many yet.
This makes it necessary for the government and the party to continue to make their vision clear and explain the various political, economic and cultural reform policies.

The need to get the best out of Egypt's administrative body is not less important.
Huge work on the part of this administrative body must be done for it to be able to rise to the challenges that escort the reform and modernization process.
Second, vision and objectives
The NDP believes that for these challenges to be overcome the relationship between citizens and the state must be rebuilt on a basis of mutual trust and respect depending on the belief that citizens are intrinsic partners in making the decisions that affect their life, society, present and future.
This particular point will be part of a comprehensive development plan in the various fields where political, institutional and cultural reforms are as important as economic reforms.
Experience has it that there is a high correlation between the different aspects of economic reform on the one hand and political reform on the other hand in a way that makes it impossible for any of them to be fully-fledged without the other.
The NDP thinks that empowering citizens and prodding them to take part in the development process has become an urgent need especially in the light of the fact that full dependence on the central state for services has become unlikely while population numbers grow swiftly.
On the other hand, fostering citizen's sense of belonging necessitates a revival of the conception of citizenship rights and an upgrade of the political and administrative infrastructures, which regulate the relationship between the state and citizens.
Of equal importance still is also the need for improving upon legislation and facilitating legal proceedings.
The NDP is of the view that these steps must be taken within a political and cultural atmosphere that highly estimates participation and voluntary work; one that bolsters a culture of democracy, decentralization and plurality.
This must be an atmosphere that invites dialogue and acceptance of the other as well as encourage citizens to take part in the development of the society.
Achievement of justice can never be a reality while citizens can not feel it.
This justice does not become fully- fledged in the absence of positive citizens who carry out their duties and take their rights within a framework of legality.
The political and institutional reform plans the NDP adopts would not be successful in the absence of a positive cultural atmosphere that fully estimates knowledge and scientific progress, calls for plurality, democracy and decentralization.
The atmosphere referred to here is one that favours participation and volunteerism, encourages team work, tolerance and acceptance of the other as well as rejects individualism and radicalism.
Third, objectives of NDP political, institutional and cultural reform
The NDP puts faith in that its vision of the process of political, institutional and cultural reform would be put into action through the following steps:
1- Reviving the concept of citizenship rights and modernizing the structure of the relationship between citizens and the state.
The concept of citizenship, according to the basic principles of the party, is based on the principles of equality and equal opportunity for citizens without the least legal, political or cultural discrimination because of colour, sex, religion or belief.
Citizens should also be treated equally regardless of their political affiliations or social position.
Citizens should have equal opportunities in education, medical care, jobs, running in election and enjoying their legal and constitutional rights to the full without the least regard to their social origins, family positions or even their political affiliations.
The NDP knows for certain that a revival of the citizenship rights concept requires a restructuring of the relationship between the state and citizens; a relationship that for thousands of years gave the authority of state agencies state employees the upper hand over citizens' lives.
Besides, the concept of citizenship is strongly related to a concept of the partnership between the state and citizens in the development process.
Encouraging citizens to participate and enrich their skills is paramount in the process of human development.
Development can not be successful in the absence of an active participation on the part of citizens.
This means that public participation is a means and an end at the same time.
A commitment on the part of the state to make available encouraging legislative, political and constitutional structures that enable citizens to enjoy their political and civil rights to the full is a prerequisite for encouraging citizens to politically participate.
This is also a citizenship right.

Following is the NDP's vision of the required reforms for transfiguring the concept of citizenship and advancing the structure of the relationship between the state and citizens.
Egyptian citizenship document The NDP knows for certain that a revival of citizenship rights would increase citizens' sense of belonging and national unity.
It would also encourage citizens to participate spurring them to enjoy all their political rights.
Therefore, the NDP turns every stone to underline Egyptian citizenship rights through a document that defines the rights of citizens and their basic duties.
These are the same rights and duties the constitution secures.
However, the document would define these rights and duties in more detail covering all the aspects that have a direct impact on citizens' lives.
It would be like a new contract between the state and citizens.
The document would be a tool for teaching citizens about participation on the one hand and a mechanism for changing the administrative and cultural structures on the other hand.
Citizens have the right to demand a full application of the provisions of the document for them to enjoy their citizenship rights fully.
The NDP perceives as true that the phrasing of this document must be simple and direct in a way that explains basic citizenship rights to the citizens to give citizens the necessary information for them to be able to attain their rights and enjoy them.
The document must also contain the basic social responsibilities of citizens like respect for the law, taking part in elections and participation in the development of society.
etc.
The NDP is of the view that the document must contain definite rules that secure transparency and information for citizens.
At the same time, it must contain a provision on the importance of accountability on the part of the government and the executive authority.
Polishing structure of the relationship between citizens and the state Though big efforts have been made at institutional and administrative reform, yet the NDP does not think that these efforts have helped citizens who suffer a dearth of information and complicated, lengthy and costly procedures.
Therefore, the party does its utmost to lay out policies that achieve social stability for citizens and do the following:
a- Resolving legal conflicts
between citizens and the state The state is due to think carefully before going into legal conflicts with citizens if these conflicts are not avoidable on its part.
The cases the State Cases Authority -an agency that looks into legal conflicts between citizens and the state- looks into at the present moment number around 750.000.
The NDP proposes taking the following procedures to resolve all these legal conflicts between citizens and the state with the aim of economizing on the costs of legal proceedings and bolstering citizen-state confidence:
  • 1- Ending conflicts in which the state is party once the concerned authorities see that they are not important.
  • 2- Galvanizing the role of Reconciliation Committees, which were founded according to law No7 for the year 2000.
    The committees must be entitled with the job of resolving financial conflicts to a certain amount of money.
  • 3- Applying court rulings in one case to all the similar cases.
b- Sprucing up voter registration systems
The fact that condensing voter lists has not been completed yet influences the electoral process negatively in a way that makes for no credible election.
Therefore, the NDP believes that there would be a way out of this only when there happens a link between voter lists and the National Identification Number (NIN).
Hence the need for speeding up work on giving this NINs all citizens.
The NDP has a set of proposals to encourage citizens to register in voter rolls and go to the ballots during the present stage including:
  • 1- Creating new methods for shortening voter lists until the NIN project is completed.
  • 2- Citizens would be registered in voter rolls automatically once they get a NIN from the Civil Status Agency at the age of 18.
    The voting cards would then be sent the citizens at their homes without any effort being exerted on their part.
  • 3- Citizens holding a NIN would be allowed to cast their votes at the ballots by force of the NIN whereas voting cards would be abolished as soon as the NIN project is completed.
c- National Identification Number
The NDP hammers at facile methods through which citizens can get the NINs especially by unregistered citizens in nationwide.
The party also mulls the adoption of a national campaign aiming at enabling citizens to get the NINs before the end of 2005.
d- Eliminating all forms of discrimination against women
The NDP calls for eliminating all forms of discrimination against women putting faith in the importance of applying the principle of equality as far as legislation, laws and procedures are concerned.
This belief- framed in the eight general conference of the party- has been translated into fact action by the appointment of the first woman judge and three councillors for the Supreme Constitutional Court along with the Government presenting the Family Court Law.
Accordingly, the NDP calls for finalizing the Family Court Law as well as taking the necessary steps that would eliminate all hurdles on the way of putting the law into action.
The NDP also calls for dedicating more room for women in the judiciary as well as encouraging them to be part of public work and voluntary and syndicate work.
e- Improving the services offered citizens
  • 1- Getting a licence
    The NDP is tries its best to push the efforts the Ministry of Administrative Development makes along with other state institutions forward to facilitate procedures through which citizens get basic services, such as housing, water and electricity licences, communication, construction licences and the registration of real estate properties.
  • 2- Attaining official documents
    The NDP uses its best endeavours to simplify the procedures through which citizens attain official documents whether from police stations or civil status departments.
    It also aims at improving services using modern technology to present them in a way that shows respect for citizens.
    The party perceives this as a way bringing home citizen's confidence in the previously mentioned departments.
f- Citizens' relationship with police
The NDP does its utmost to make a human rights culture an essential ingredient of the culture of the Egyptian society particularly of individuals who are endowed with the responsibility of putting the law into action.
The party also aims at advancing the information systems at police stations with the aim of improving the services offered the citizens in a way that encourages them to take the initiative of resorting to police as a first option.
g- Upgrading local administration systems
Though some efforts are made with the aim of transfiguring local administration systems these systems still suffer many problems.
This saps the drive to towards decentralization of its momentum.
At the same time, current policies yoke the local administration doing away with decentralized practices.
Therefore, the NDP spares no effort in improving upon local administration systems and the mandate of the municipal councils for them to be able to effectively contribute to planning, administering and financing the local development process.
The municipal councils are meant to be true schools for democracy and an effective framework for public participation.
This must be accompanied by an upgrade of policies and training programs with the aim of attracting and training local cadres who can blow fresh air into the decentralization experience.
2- Achieving total justice for citizens
The NDP believes that spreading real justice would protect the rights of citizens and their interests.
The party perceives this as one of the essential pillars on which a democratic structure would be build.
Justice is also a prerequisite for citizen's participation in the development of the local society.
The NDP also believes that justice is a citizenship right.
The NDP knows for certain that justice must be a decisive one, which secures respect for citizenship rights and applies the law firmly.
It believes also that it must be a modern justice that depends on technology.
The NDP's version of justice is also one, which stems from an up-to-date legislation that responds positively to modernization aspirations.
It is also the justice that does not cripple citizens with many financial burdens.
It is the justice that augments citizens' sense of belonging.
Justice depends on two main elements: legislation and the judiciary.
That is why the NDP strives to modernize legislation and justice management.
Following are the party's suggestions for legislative upgrading and spreading justice: Legislative upgrading According to the constitution, legality is the power regulating the activities of all the existing institutions of society and the performance of all state apparatus.
It also regulates economic activities and the activities of civil society organizations as well as professional syndicates.
This legal framework also regulates all the social, political and economic activities of citizens.
The need for legislative reform has become more urgent after 1971 Constitution came to being heralding a new phase of political plurality and political freedom.
It also ushered in a stricter commitment to market mechanisms and opened the way for a bigger role on the part of the private sector.
The margin of freedom became bigger and the state continued to protect low-income brackets.
The NDP proposed legislative reform during the eighties and the nineties.
Major steps have been taken in this regard.
The aim was to create a legislative framework that is suitable for the conditions the constitution of 1971 created.
The desired legislative modernization movement started in the nineties.
The result has been a set of important new laws in the fields of trade, economy, mortgage, capital market, civil society institutions and human rights.
These laws represent good leaps on the way of the desired legislative modernization.
The NDP does its utmost to take more steps at legislative upgrading.
This should take the following points into consideration:
  • a- The existing legislation was sketched out in the period between the end of the 19th century and the end of the 20th century.
    Though these laws have been subject to some amendments yet they still need to be reconsidered with the aim of meeting future requirements.
  • b- Egypt aims to achieve a comprehensive development; one, which can seal the gap between it and advanced countries.
    This requires a legislative framework that allows Egypt to gallop on the way of progress.
  • c- Comprehensive development would not happen unless there is justice to protect the rights of citizens.
This will encourage these citizens to be part of the struggle for development.

Following are the NDP's suggestions for legislative reform:

  • 1- Modernizing the rules for legal proceedings in a way that makes facile these proceedings.
    A system for the application of court rulings must also be created to augment the credibility of these rulings.

  • 2- Reconsidering the Penal Code to create more guarantees for the protection of human rights in a way, which fosters Egypt's local and international commitments in this regard.

  • 3- Amending Law No 1 for the year 2000 which created a fund to put alimony verdicts into action putting into mind that alimony rulings are part of a set of rulings that face many hurdles on the way of application creating many problems that threaten the stability of Egyptian families.
    The fund faces many problems relating to the lack of finance.
    That is why the NDP suggests the imposition of small fees over birth and marriage certificates for the money to be channelled to prop the fund's finances.

  • 4- Drawing up legislation for the protection of consumer rights, activating the role of civil societies in this regard and spreading awareness about consumer rights.

  • 5- Issuing the unified cooperatives law to regulate the activities of the cooperatives instead of the present five laws regulating that.
Improving the management of justice Egypt boasts an independent judicial system that has been present since 1875.
The Judiciary has been and will always be the legal force that protects citizens and their families.
However, the presence of too many cases and lengthy legal proceedings on the one hand and the inability to put court rulings into action and the inability of the judiciary to cope up with technological advances on the other hand made the need for improving justice management more urgent.
The NDP underlines the importance of the projects and policies the executive authority launches with the aim advancing justice particularly those which relate to enabling citizens to attain their rights.
Improving the application of court rulings The NDP knows for certain that respect for court rulings and their effective application are prerequisites for stability and social justice.
Hence the need for erasing all the hurdles on the way of putting court rulings into action through the creation of effective mechanisms for the application of these court rulings.
3- Infusing new blood into the cultural structure
The NDP holds to be true that political, economic and social reform plans can never bear fruit in the absence of a friendly cultural structure that adopts a set of progress values.
This cultural structure is supposed to push reform plans forward and guarantee their success.
The NDP puts faith in the centrality of the Egyptian identity and its historical depths.
It also highlights Egypt's leading role in the Arab region and its Arab and Islamic ties.
It underlines the importance of bolstering relations with the African countries, Muslim countries and the advanced countries with the aim of serving national interests.
In the light of that, the NDP adopts a set of progress-oriented values.

It adopts a culture that is based on dialogue, tolerance and renouncing closed-mindedness; one that condones innovation.
The NDP also believes that it is responsible for leading the social drive towards boosting this set of values.
It also believes in its responsibility for resisting cultural trends that are inimical to change.
The party also strives to invite the intellectuals who framed this set of values to defend it themselves.
Through its educational reform programs the NDP also aims to make these values part of the school curricula.
The NDP looks forward to all cultural institutions and media playing an effective role in spreading these values and defending them for them to become an essential part of Egypt's cultural heritage.
4- Perking up the role of civil society institutions in reform

The NDP believes that the civil society is the conscience of the nation.
It is also the fulcrum of the relationship between society and the state.
The civil society contains a number of non- government non- profit organizations.
The party knows for certain that civil societies are one of the important mechanisms for democratic practices because of their proximity to the majority in society.
That is why they are more able to express the needs and aspirations of citizens.
For these reasons the NDP is of the view that supporting the work of civil societies and erasing the obstacles on their way is an urgent need for encouraging citizens' participation.

Following are some of the reforms the NDP deems important: Perking up political parties Believing in the importance of building its institutional structure, the NDP took the initiative in renewing its internal structure from the base to the top during the last two years.

The NDP took sure steps focusing on the participation of women and youth encouraging them to assume leading party positions.
Accordingly, the NDP calls for reconsidering political party laws and the political rights law with the aim of erasing the hurdles on the way of the political parties as one of the ways for perking up Egypt's political life.
Empowerment of civil society institutions

a- civil societies and institutions
Civil societies play a vital role since the early 19th century in offering medical, educational and social care. They also play an important role in local development.
Recently, the civil societies put women and children issues, human rights and environmental protection on their agenda as well as the combating of poverty and unemployment through small loans and the training of youth.

There are more than 16000 civil societies in Egypt. This number is expected to increase with an increasing awareness of the importance of the civil institutions for society.
The NDP believes that civil societies are the first school for democracy in society and public participation and volunteerism because of the close proximity between them and the majority in society.

This proximity makes the civil societies more able to express the needs and aspirations of this majority. However, civil societies suffer a weak institutional structure.
Added to this are problems relating to funding and some other administrative problems.
The NDP makes the following proposals:

  • 1- Drawing up policies that bolster the institutional and democratic structure of civil societies through training.
    A system for incentives must also be created with the aim of encouraging civil societies to put a second line of leadership in place.
  • 2- Increasing the subsidies offered the civil societies and reviving the Civil Society Assistance Fund.
  • 3- Inviting the private sector to found civil institutions in accordance with the civil societies law to fund the activities of the civil societies.
    The aim is to create a broad base of Egyptian donor institutions which fund the activities of the civil societies depending on scientific criteria that secure the continuance of this funding.
  • 4- Training Ministry of Social Affairs cadres for them to be able to support the civil societies.
  • 5- Bolstering the concept of partnership between civil societies and the government and the private sector in development by bringing some of the projects they did jointly to light.
b- Professional syndicates
The NDP is of the view that professional syndicates play an important role in augmenting democratic practices and public participation.
The establishment of these syndicates is also a citizenship right, which the constitution advocates.
The party also believes in the importance of strengthening the institutional structure of these syndicates.
That is why a reconsideration of the laws regulating the activities of the professional syndicates with the aim of upgrading them is necessary.
d- Cooperatives
The NDP knows for certain that cooperatives are an important mechanism for public participation.
They are organised by independent individuals who work for them voluntarily.
Cooperatives are active in agricultural, production, professional and housing fields.
They are also active offering educational and medical services and work in environment conservation.
However, cooperatives face difficulties, which led to a weak performance on their part.
The state continued to deal with these cooperatives as part of the public sector in total contradiction with their nature.
The legislation relating to the cooperatives being divided into five laws led to a weakening of their institutional structure.
That is why the NDP feels the need for drawing up a new legislative framework to regulate the work of the cooperatives and bolster their independence and democratic practices inside them.
The need for devising regulations that guarantee a measure of transparency on the part of members of cooperatives is not of less importance.
Measures must also be taken to enable these members to bring the administrations of these cooperatives to account.
The NDP also believes in the importance of bolstering the concept of partnership between cooperatives and the government with the aim of integrating their development efforts.