Al Gomhuria: by Dr. Nadder Mostafa
The visit of the Egyptian President to the Indian capital, the day after tomorrow, indicates that Egypt has become open to the countries of the East after the January revolution. Those counties can provide Egypt with different models of development. India in
particular, managed to achieve political and economic developments which are considered the main demand of the Egyptian citizens who chanted the slogan of "Bread…freedom…and social justice” during the revolution. This was reflected on the visits of the Egyptian
President’s foreign visits as he decided to visit India after China and Iran.
The Egyptian-Indian relations were not so active during Mubarak’s time. In spite of the intimate relationship between Nasser and Nehru, India waited for Mubarak for twenty years to visit it to receive one of the highest Indian prizes, which reflected badly
on the relations between the two countries.
Today, President Morsi is giving priority to India, which contradicts with the attitude of the past regime. This indicates the increase of the awareness of Egypt of the situation in south Asia and the sensitive relations between India and Pakistan.
India has several successful experiences and we can copy anyone of them that suits the nature of our problems. One of those experiences is that India achieved self sufficiency in the field of grain production. India is now an exporting country and has an advanced
software industry as well. Gandhi implanted in the Indian citizens the pride in their national products. India is not facing shortage of bread although its population reached 1.2 billion persons. One Indian state managed to lead the Green Revolution of India.
On the other side, the state supported scientific research in the field of agriculture.
The second experience is related to the appointment of employees in the Indian civil service. The Indian government chooses the best graduates to be appointed through a series of tests that are conducted transparently. They choose young men whose ages do not
exceed 27 years to lead the government bodies. If you go to any government building in any city, you will find qualified young men who are capable of solving problems. There is also the Indian experience in the field of railways. Indian trains serve millions
of passengers in the Indian subcontinent at a minimal fare. The trains are maintained regularly. You can book a seat on a train through the internet and timings of trips of trains are very precise. The West considers India the largest democracy in the world.
India has successful experiences in the field of combating corruption. The Indian electoral system with it electronic voting system is worthy to be considered. There are wonderful experiences that we can transfer to Egypt to benefit from them.
(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)