most egyptians rightly or wrongly are convinced that hosni mubarak is orchestrating a daddy-to-son transfer of power (thomas barnett thinks it a fait accompli).

my opinions of gamal are based on watching him on a bbc debate a coupe of years ago alongside tony blair, ehud barak at the davos sharm el sheikh summit. i was impressed. obviously the uninformed opinion means little.
based on my time in cairo, there is little doubt that he is exceedingly unpopular, possibly even less loved than his father – although i wonder if its possible to be less popular than hosni in egypt.

so, mr gamal mubarak here is my advice for your seemingly inevitable campaign for the egyptian presidency:

embrace debate.

• introduce a law enshrining the rights of a free press (release all jailed journalists and make it illegal to jail them);
• support and engage the impressive local blogosphere.

humble foreign policy:

• work towards a two-state solution next door;
• invest in gcc relations – egypt depends on massive remittances and fdi from these key and increasingly; influential states who are still likely to have more money than they can invest at home;
• reduce spending on military to allow for other more important domestic programs.

transparency:

• put rumors to rest by coming clean with the mubarak clan’s business interests;
• mount a serious crackdown on the endemic corruption that permeates egyptian institutions;
• strengthen the courts and the rule of law.

education:

• rescind free higher education for all which increasingly means higher education for no-one;
• start a world-class institution in the iit mold;
• encourage further private / foreign investment (there is plenty of for-profit and not-for-profit capital waiting in the wings) while improving the regulatory framework.

legalize the brotherhood:

• do not fear the muslim brotherhood, bring them into the official political arena, they are not as popular as they seem and the current policies only work to strengthen their hand.

campaign strategy:

run as a capitalist with clear strategy om improving healthcare, reducing the size of the state and encouraging fdi and entrepreneurs whilst combating corruption.

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