MaxedOutMama
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Change and Circumstance
Well, so now the dunes are shifting in Egypt. This article in Arab News seems quite thorough. Mubarak gave a speech advocating actually offering people a choice in presidential elections:
I can't help but consider it a an even more significant sign of the times that a woman was granted her request for a DNA test on the public figure she says fathered her child in Egypt. The Saudi Arabian ministry has announced that it will appoint 36 women to significant posts:
The editor in chief of the weekly Al-Shaab and member of the banned, but tolerated, Muslim Brotherhood, Magdi Hussein, said the move was a victory for and a concession to increasing opposition calls within Egypt to have multiparty presidential elections.The article also notes that a few political activists have been trying to get a million signatures on a petition to parliament to allow for multi-candidate elections, so I gather Mubarak is bowing to mounting pressures. Opposition figures are skeptical and say that more needs to be done than Mubarak's suggestion - they want guarantees of voting rights and laws preventing the suppression of political opposition parties, for just a start.
“A few days ago, Mubarak rejected demands to open the presidential balloting to other candidates and now he calls for amendments to the constitution, which means we have won our first battle,” Magdi said. “The next step should be limiting presidents to a maximum of two consecutive terms in office.”
Opposition parties supported Magdi’s view, saying the amendments proposed by Mubarak did not include limiting the powers of the president and did not let any citizen run for elections. “Only members of political parties will be authorized to run and the final list of candidates will be decided by a higher committee of judiciary and public figures,” said Aboul Ella Madi, head of Hizb Al-Wasat Al-Gedid (the New Center party).
I can't help but consider it a an even more significant sign of the times that a woman was granted her request for a DNA test on the public figure she says fathered her child in Egypt. The Saudi Arabian ministry has announced that it will appoint 36 women to significant posts:
In a significant first, the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry will appoint 36 Saudi women to a variety of jobs in the political, economic, women’s rights and computer departments, press reports said yesterday.
“The appointments will occur within three weeks,” said Prince Khaled ibn Saud, director of the department for financial and administrative affairs. He said a large number of women had already applied for the jobs.
Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal revealed last week plans to hire women as part of the country’s political reforms. The minister added that some women would be appointed to key posts.
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Still frankly makes me smile every time I read a post of yours and see and experience your thinking in action...what a beautiful & exciting site. I also don't know if I ever thanked you for blogrolling me but I have secretly hoped for months you and several other bloggers such as SC&A would consider me worthy of linking... I am very grateful for the linkage and am always inspired by your writing...
Ah, Crystal, you're way too kind.
The blogosphere IS an exciting place. I get inspiration from so many, including you.
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The blogosphere IS an exciting place. I get inspiration from so many, including you.
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