What’s on offer by the various parties : come out of the crisis?
In the run up to the forthcoming Legislative Elections of May 4, 2017 in Algeria, numerous questions are being asked and not many of them found answers. Most relate naturally to the current situation but all relate to higher costs and rising demand driven increases in spending on core services such as education, healthcare, and transport whilst tumbling oil prices brought down the State’s revenues.
Market economy does not mean the end of the State. Quite the opposite with the State balancing between the social and private costs, and playing its role in the strategic directions but never substituting for public and private operators. It should be raising the environmental constraints and so make it more efficient, because wealth creation allows the increase of tax that itself is source of the functioning of the State.
It is in this framework that I also have few questions of my own for those parties and candidates for these elections.
Socio-political proposals
Essential factor in the economic and social development, the candidates must commit to developing the political, the economic, social and cultural freedoms and the involvement of the youth and promotion of women. They must also :
Commit to good governance and to the rule of law, to fighting bureaucracy, to opt for the independence of the judiciary with a clear separation between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary powers with independent judges and attorneys appointed by the executive and should also opt for the re-balancing the council of the judiciary whilst promoting free elections, and re-balancing the Constitutional Court in favour of independent personalities and strengthen the power of the Council of State.
Engage in a way specific to clarify the missions of the Armed Forces, the Security Council including the security services and in the context of democratic transition.
Give concrete solutions as to the missions of our diplomacy which must adapt to the new changes in the world.
While keeping to our national constants as a factor of social cohesion, commit to foster the Culture as factor of tolerance and combat all forms of racism and xenophobia. Also ensure the freedom of religion and freedom of conscience, making sure that religion does not interfere in the Affairs of the State.
What do candidates propose with respect to the elite with, the integration of our emigration and the valorization of knowledge through the elementary to higher education deep reform.
With a commitment to promoting trade union plurality, freedom of the media with a code of ethics, together with recognition of the civil society and the peaceful freedom to demonstrate in public.
To adhere fully to the fundamental values of November 1st, 1954, to the Soummam’s call for freedom and stand for a State that survives the vagaries of history and never overlook Algeria’s independence martyrs sacrifice.
Socio-economic proposals
Parties and candidates must clearly define the future role of the State in economic and social development, emphasizing the regulator role of the balancing the social and private interests at this junction of the Fourth Industrial Revolution of 2017/2030.
What solutions do the parties offer, regarding the digital transition, taking into account of cybercrime?
Candidates must commit to developing laws criminalizing corruption, by differentiating the corruption off the act of management in order to avoid crippling managers’ initiatives which could be a breach of national security. This means mitigation in total transparency in the use of public funds (public expenditure – oil exports revenues – foreign exchange reserves), the unification of the institutions of control, independent from the Executive, and give broad powers to the Court of Auditors, along with the parliamentary control and civil society and undertake to comply with international agreements with regards to the laundering of “dirty” money.
Commit to guarantee private property, as inalienable and codify the competitive market, away from any monopoly economy, as an irreversible process. Also put all private, local and international and public companies, on the same footing, the purpose being to promote a productive, competitive and non-hydrocarbon economy adapted with pragmatism to the process of globalization.
Commit to foster economic regionalization not regionalism around major hubs (combining University research, banks, economic and administrative centres) which should involve important institutional reforms (ministries, public economic sector – governorates municipalities).
Agriculture and water, issue of the 21st century as a strategic segment; the candidates must commit to codify non urbanization of farmlands, in parallel to an urbanization that must be part of a policy of clearly defined planning which cannot assimilate into the current special programs of the various regions’ governorates.
What do the candidates offer for the preservation of the environment and the protection of biodiversity?
For the information system, the candidates must commit to codify a body independent of the Executive responsible for the collection of data and strategic planning, in real-time, taking into account the global turmoil, to combat the overcharging trends.
As far energy is concerned, candidates must commit to codify, as a strategic imperative, the implementation of an energy transition based on a Mix with the endorsement of the Energy National Council and that of the Security Council and be conditioned to a broad national debate about energy future in 2015/2030 including all renewable sources of energy.
Commit to codify economic and social dialogue between the Executive and all economic and social partners including with the autonomous unions and review the current operations of the Economic and Social Council in the new Constitution, giving it total autonomy.
Before the current geo-strategic challenges, the African and Euro-Mediterranean regions that might know major upheavals horizon 2020, would impose on Algeria to adapt its strategies so that all political, economic and military factors of globalization, closely linked to its foreign policy are coherent; this would require of the candidates to be committed to the integration of Algeria within the Euro-Mediterranean region, in Africa, in the Maghreb so as to confront the continent’s multiple challenges.
In short, what is proposed by the different candidates and parties on the economic model for 2017 to 2019 and 2020 to 2030 as made public by the Government knowing that an economic model has no meaning if it is not carried by social, economic and political forces reformers, involving a restructuring of political power based on morality? Do they bring new operational ideas or do they shut themselves up in a diagnosis, of well-known proposals or fanciful promises?
