Cairo - Mahmoud Hassani
Egyptian parliamentarian John Talat praised the recent national conference held in Aswan and its repercussions, considering it as the beginning of Upper Egypt's development. He signaled to the presidential decision to form a General authority to develop Upper Egypt, saying it will be a turning point in the history of this critical region in Egypt.
He said, "Upper Egypt suffered from ignorance from consecutive regimes that ruled the country for decades. This approach pushed many people to leave the provinces in the region and transfer to live in Cairo due to the lack of services provided to them in their cities."
He added that they have been forced to leave their cities to find better opportunities in the fields of education and health or even culture, as the government has not provided such services to them in their provinces. He blamed the governmental approach for the current high population witnessed in Cairo.
He underlined the absence of tourists as one of the major factors that pushed Upper Egypt's residents to transfer to Cairo, saying that the suspension of this vital sector affected the lives of over four million citizens.
He added, "Such critical position witnessed in Upper Egypt pushed me to call Prime Minister Sherif Ismail for organizing a conference in participation with businessperson to discuss the current crises witnessed in the region." He stressed that the government decided to organize the conference in Upper Egypt in response to his proposal during the first national conference held in Egypt's tourist resort of Sharm Al Sheikh.
He stressed that the conference came to send a major message which is that the country will resume its way to achieve development despite the attempts to challenge the government.
Regarding the ministerial reshuffle, the Egyptian parliamentarian said that the parliament has not received any thing in this regard, stressing the need for such reshuffle. He said that it comes late, as many parliamentarians called for taking the step after the economic decisions that fueled the public rage.
He stressed the need for serious change not only in the cabinet's members but also in the policies adopted by the government to ease the challenges facing the Egyptian citizen during the current period.