Months ago, the social security file entered one of the most sensitive stages of the debate in years, as the issue relates to a system that affects the lives of hundreds of thousands of subscribers and retirees, and is linked to their future plans and savings, as well as their sense of economic security.
اضافة اعلان
Therefore, it was natural that the bill would become an issue of public opinion, and that the debates would go beyond the corridors of parliament to homes, social media, unions, and economic sectors.
Recently, the file witnessed two important developments: the first was the return of Dr. Hazem Al-Rahaleh to the management of the Social Security Corporation, and the second was the request for the resignation of the Minister of Labor against the background of a conflict of interest case.
Regardless of the different nature of the two decisions, is the government ready to rearrange the management of this file and address similar administrative or political problems?
The citizen aspires for the government to complete the treatment of the crisis with a third and no less important step, which is to withdraw the draft guarantee law in its current form, and to reopen it to a calm national dialogue, which will give it enough time to develop and amend, and reach a law that enjoys the widest possible confidence and acceptance.
This proposal may seem regressive to some, but in countries where the decision-making process is mature, withdrawing a draft law after the expansion of objections to it is a natural practice that reflects respect for public opinion, and the belief that the quality of legislation is more important than the speed of its passage.
The government defended the bill as a necessity imposed by actuarial studies that warned of future challenges that threaten the sustainability of the guarantee fund, and this is a legitimate debate that should not be ignored, as maintaining the financial sustainability of the guarantee fund is a national responsibility that cannot be tolerated by populism or denial.
However, on the other hand, it is also impossible to ignore the fact that the project, as it is proposed, lost the battle of popular confidence before it came into effect, a point worth stopping at, as major laws succeed in convincing society that they are fair, balanced, and protect its interests.
If people feel that the law threatens their job stability or retirement rights, the best actuarial studies will not be enough to restore confidence.
The experience of the past months revealed that the crisis was also represented in the management of the dialogue, as the public debate moved away from the essence of the reform, and turned into a state of popular anxiety, until the message that reached the citizens became completely different from the one that the government wanted to convey.
Returning to the management of the institution can be a different beginning, as the man knows the institution from the inside, and participated in the preparation of reform projects that adopted the principle of gradualism and dialogue, and logic dictates a little waiting, and the project was withdrawn for a comprehensive dialogue on it.
Withdrawing the project today cannot mean leaving financial sustainability in jeopardy, but rather looking for ways to achieve it at the lowest possible social cost, and the victory of the idea that major legislation should be born from consensus, especially since everyone agrees on the need to protect the guarantee fund, the importance of good governance and the independence of the institution and the strengthening of control over its investments, as well as the need to guarantee the rights of subscribers.
The real disagreement lies in the means, mechanisms and speed with which these reforms should be carried out.
This is a dispute that can be resolved through dialogue, as reopening the file may allow focusing on issues that are no less important than adjusting the retirement age or its conditions, such as expanding the umbrella of the guarantee to include more workers, combating insurance evasion, integrating parts of the informal economy, and enhancing governance and transparency in the management of the organization's funds, which also contribute to enhancing financial sustainability in the long term.
Today, the opportunity seems favorable to reset the course of this file completely, as the administrative and political messages have arrived, and it remains to be completed with a legislative message telling citizens that the government does not adhere to the texts as much as it insists that these texts are of high quality and achieve the desired justice.
Only then can the equation be said to be complete.
