If I were Minister of Local Development

 

If I were Minister of Local Development

Written by Dr. Mustafa Ali 🇪🇬

When I started from the top of the pyramid

 Rather, from below

From where the citizen stands in the reconciliation queue, 

Or in front of a closed door in a neighborhood that has no say, 

Or on land where it is not known whether it belongs to him or to the state.

Local development is not just a service ministry, but a ministry that tests people's trust in the state on a daily basis.

Every flaw in it, no matter how administrative it may seem, quickly turns into a general feeling of exhaustion and futility.

If I were the Minister of Local Development…

I would have said it clearly...

The problem is not just with the laws, but with the distance between the text of the law and the citizen's hand.

how??? 

- First: The Reconciliation Law… from a fair idea to a heavy burden. 

The reconciliation law is essentially a rational attempt to close a chaotic file that has accumulated over decades.

But what happened next revealed the dilemma of the local administration. 

- Lengthy procedures.

- Frequent committees.

- Incomprehensible estimates.

A citizen who doesn't know whether to reconcile or wait.

The problem here is not only financial, but psychological as well.

When a citizen feels that reconciliation is more like an administrative adventure, he loses confidence in the goal itself.

The solution lies not in expansion or contraction, but in standardizing the assessment, shortening the timeframes, and linking reconciliation to clear rights: licensing, facilities, and legal security.

Reconciliation should not be sold as a fine, but as a respectable final settlement.

Secondly: Building law… when reality precedes the text… 

The building code was designed to regulate construction, but it was applied in a reality that was preceded by violations and inhabited by necessity.

The result: a citizen who wants to build gets punished, an employee who is afraid to sign, and a city that grows outside of planning.

The problem is not the ban, but the lack of realistic alternatives.

The solution begins with restoring the importance of quick, clear, time-bound licensing, and linking construction to safety, not to routine.

 Local administration… soulless centralization.

The most serious problem facing the ministry is not a lack of resources, but rather weak local decision-making.

The provinces know their problems well, but they are waiting for permission.

Neighborhoods witness the crisis daily, but have no solution.

Real development begins when we trust local authorities, not when we tie them down more.

Calculated empowerment, clear oversight, and fair accountability… no chaos, no paralysis.

What I wanted to say is...

If I were the Minister of Local Development...

I would say that the ministry's battle is not with the opponent, but with the gap.

The gap between law and reality, between the center and the periphery, between planning and the people.

The ministry’s success is not measured by the number of removals, nor by the size of the reports, but by the extent to which the citizen feels that the state is organizing his life, not complicating it, and protecting his rights without squandering his dignity.

Local development, ultimately, is not about maps or decisions…

It is the ability to make the state close enough, fair enough, and strong without being harsh.

If I were the Minister of Local Development...

I would say enough to many things because the citizen has enough...

May you and Egypt remain safe with its people, its great leader, its valiant army, and its loyal security men.