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Al-Ahram Weekly 3 - 9 June 1999 Issue No. 432 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 3 - 9 June 1999 Issue No. 432
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Interview Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters NGOs campaign on
By Mariz TadrosDespite parliament's approval, many NGOs believe that this is no reason to stop the campaign against a law which, they argue, infringes upon their autonomy. The law, many NGOs assert, gives the government extensive control over the establishment and liquidation of organisations, and widens the scope of possible administrative intervention. Throughout the week, NGOs worked hard to collect signatures on a petition addressed to President Hosni Mubarak, urging him not to ratify the law and return it to the People's Assembly for additional discussion. The petition was signed by journalists, parliamentarians, writers, academics, artists and NGO activists.
In solidarity with the NGOs, Arab organisations working in France, Germany and Canada also began a campaign to collect signatures for the petition.
By mid-week, the campaigners had collected 400 signatures, only to discover on Monday that Mubarak had indeed ratified the law. The ratification had not been announced by any of the concerned bodies.
A campaign was also launched by a group of international human rights organisations -- Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the World Federation for Human Rights, the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, the World Organisation Against Torture and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights. They issued a joint statement, affirming that the law "imposes restrictive conditions on civil society institutions in violation of international law." The law, the statement said, "restricts the right of freedom of association as guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights." It is also "flagrantly at odds with the letter and spirit of the UN Human Rights Defenders Declaration. The declaration, adopted by the General Assembly in December 1998, recognises the rights and responsibilities of human rights defenders and requires governments to create an environment in which they can work without interference and harassment."
The US State Department said that the law "is the wrong direction to go if Egypt wants to energise civil society and promote development."
"We are raising our concerns with senior levels of the Egyptian government," said US State Department spokesman James Rubin.
On Monday, the NGO Forum for the Promotion of the Non-Governmental Sector in Egypt, which includes 105 NGOs from 12 governorates, met to discuss ways to maintain the campaign against the law. NGOs have a six-month grace period to "adjust their situation" to meet the requirements of the new law. During this period, NGOs already registered with the Ministry of Social Affairs will have to re-apply for registration and be given a new licence. NGOs registered as civil companies will have to be registered with the ministry, if they are to continue their work.
Negad El-Bora'i, head of the Group for Democratic Development, suggested that NGOs should accommodate themselves according to the new law. "NGOs have always worked, and have always sought ways of going around the law; so, I urge civil companies to register with the ministry, and if their applications are rejected, they can then go to court."
His suggestion was vehemently rejected by attending NGOs. Hala Shukrallah of the New Woman Research Centre argued that the fact the law was passed did not mean that NGOs should drop their opposition to it. She said the issue concerned the freedom of civil society.
Rahma Refa'at, a lawyer with the Centre for Trade Union and Workers' Services, agreed. She said that continued opposition to the law would make it difficult for the government to insist on its implementation.
Amir Salem, head of the Legal Research Centre for Human Rights, and member of a committee that had held consultations on the bill with Social Affairs Minister Mervat Tellawi, said that if the government's intention is to thwart the activities of human rights organisations, it still has a long way to go: "We may have a few months before the executive statutes of the law are issued, which will be followed by a six-month grace period. So we have almost a year to continue the struggle."
Amin Fahim, head of the Upper Egypt Association for Development and Education, stressed the importance of reopening dialogue with the government and maintaining a dialogue among the various NGOs.
Fahim said that the Upper Egypt Association will have to re-apply for registration with the ministry, which means that a general assembly meeting must be held, a new charter prepared and a new board of directors appointed. "The new law will give the government greater power to interfere in our affairs, and puts this power in the hands of low-ranking civil servants. If they give us trouble, we will complain to the minister, but many smaller NGOs don't have that luxury, which is why we have to show solidarity with them. The new law is a weapon that can be used by the government as it pleases, under the pretext of protecting national security."
Fahim was critical of increasing economic liberalisation and what he called mounting political restrictions. He believes that the law, which can deny an organisation the right to work in different areas, runs counter to the principles of comprehensive, holistic and sustainable development. "If an organisation wants to work on many levels in the community, advancing women's rights, while preserving the environment and teaching children principles of democracy, it may find itself in a lot of trouble. If we want to establish local CDAs (community development associations) to ensure the sustainability of community work, this may be against the law because it would mean we are meddling with politics," he said.
Many human rights organisations also expressed opposition to the law. Last Saturday, Aida Seif El-Dawla, Suzanne Fayyad and Rahma Refa'at ended a six-day hunger strike they had initiated to gain a hearing for the NGOs at the People's Assembly. The hearing was not granted, but "our strike marked the birth of an Egyptian democratic movement. It achieved its goals and strengthened the protest movement against the law. We also announce the continuation of our resistance of this law," their joint statement said.
