Widespread frustration with poor economic performance, a liquidity crunch and unemployment are fueling speculation about a pending ministerial reshuffle in Egypt, according to a local newspaper.
However, analysts quoted in the report said that the change was not likely the time being.
“For several weeks, the rumors mill has been working full swing. Some rumors suggest that a wide range of ministers could be changed in a bid to breathe new life into the government. Others say only a few with economic portfolios could be sacked, as a sign that Egypt wants to get the economy back on track,” said the Egyptian Mail.
The paper said that reshuffle rumors gained momentum when the media announced that President Hosni Mubarak would review the performance of all ministers in the two-year-old government to see if they were meeting job targets.
The general belief is that most ministers must go if they are judged purely on basis of their performance, it added.
But analysts in Egypt and abroad appear skeptical about the possibility of change, according to the paper.
Many doubt that even a new cabinet would mean any real change in a country where ministers are not policy makers as much as civil servants, said the Mail.
Egypt's gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates have slowed in the past two years to around five percent, said the report, citing ministry of planning data, compared to rates of 5.3 to 6.1 percent for the previous three years.
Egypt's tourism industry has reportedly been a bright spot this year, with arrivals soaring, but the new military activity in the region could threaten even this source of hard currency – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
