Opposing benefits

By Salama Ahmed Salama

Political congresses of this sort are initiatives that deserve our closest attention. Party cadres and bodies bringing together a range of age groups and trends of thought gather to discuss programmes, revise policy, pump new blood into leadership and reinforce aspirations for a better future, taking into account developments at community and national levels.

But congresses that are held in a routine fashion cannot amount to much. Only when they prove capable of modernising political life, addressing backwardness, expanding political involvement by presenting younger generations with new perspectives and programmes of action, and accommodating change and progress, can they be considered a full-fledged political exercise.

It is hardly fair to compare political parties in the Third World with parties able to deal with the rotation of power in the developed world, where democratic, social and political systems are well-established, and change is brought about through wide-ranging participation in free elections. But at least, we can compare our own political parties in terms of their success in encouraging large-scale political participation, which in turn is a prerequisite for a healthy political life worthy of the name.

The NDP ended its two days of discussions by asserting that the economic reform policy the government has pursued for the past two decades will continue at the same rate and with the same targets into the coming century. The congress's recommendations enumerated the various aspects of government development plans, confirming the party's dedication to the protection of low-income groups against the vagaries of the market economy. The recommendations confirmed the party's position on peace as a strategic objective, and on the benefits of economic and political cooperation with Arab and European countries.

The NDP's recommendations contained little that was new in terms of modernisation intended to address the challenges of the next century. At every congress, pledges of support for President Mubarak as party leader are renewed, and members vow to increase their efforts to include young men and women; but no mention was made of the importance of greater political involvement in improving the country's democratic record. The NDP has asserted its domination of the political scene, and its members have no doubt they will remain in power for a long time yet.

While the NDP's perspective and its capacity to assess the many problems that need to be addressed have been obliterated by its position as the ruling majority party, and its inability to see itself as the opposition, the Tagammu' looks to the future from its own perspective, as a left-wing party that expects to remain in the opposition.

The perspectives of the Tagammu', however, transcend local conceptual borders to the wider vistas of development in Marxist thought, and in the socialist system in general. It therefore seems more ready to introduce radical change to its programmes and leadership, to draw on socialist concepts that are both progressive and realistic, and to learn from the experiences of Marxist socialism in recent years.

Until now, the Tagammu' congress's recommendations have not been made public. These recommendations, however, will be particularly important as the key to identifying the policy of a major element in the Egyptian political landscape.