 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 June 1999 Issue No. 433 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 June 1999 Issue No. 433
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Books Living Travel Sports Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Third time lucky?
By Amira HoweidyThe Political Parties Tribunal has refused to grant the would-be founders of the Egyptian Al-Wasat Party a licence to exercise legal party activity. Although the decision was expected, the reaction of the founders was not. The group's chief, Abul-Ela Madi, affirmed, as he has done on previous occasions, that he would pursue efforts to gain legality and would make a third attempt. But another leading founder, Rafiq Habeeb, disagreed, arguing that a yet another attempt would be "pointless". He hinted that he might leave the group should Madi go for another attempt.
Madi first applied for a licence two years go. After defecting from the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, the group made their first attempt at establishing Al-Wasat in 1997 and submitted an application to the Political Parties Committee -- the body in charge of licensing new political parties. Madi was arrested and tried by a military court for attempting to establish a party that would serve as a Brotherhood front, but was acquitted. While the trial was in progress, the Political Parties Committee rejected Al-Wasat's application on the grounds that its platform was not unique -- a prerequisite stipulated by the Political Parties Law.
The group contested the decision with the Political Parties Tribunal, which on 9 May 1998 endorsed the committee's rejection.
Forty-eight hours later, Madi submitted a second application to establish a party, this time under the name Egyptian Al-Wasat. This was rejected in September. The activists contested the rejection with the Political Parties Tribunal, which announced its decision last Saturday.
Signs of impatience within the group emerged two weeks ago when their lawyer, Mohamed Selim El-Awwa, threatened to walk out. In a memorandum to the tribunal, El-Awwa maintained that both the Political Parties Committee and the tribunal had made his job difficult by not providing him with "crucial" papers that he needed to defend the case.
But Madi is undeterred. "We will apply for a third party. It is a legal and constitutional right which we will continue to pursue until we gain a licence," he said. "I believe that our insistence should be viewed as a positive stance."
The third attempt will not be made as speedily as the second was made. "We will take that step within the coming two or three months, because the situation is different now," explained Madi. The first attempt was viewed by observers and officials alike as a manoeuvre by the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to gain legality. This belief was due to the fact that the majority of the Al-Wasat group were also members of the Brotherhood. Brotherhood members, who did not approve of the move which was made without their knowledge, pressured those who joined the group to leave. The majority did, leaving Al-Wasat with less would-be founders than the quorum required by law. Although Madi succeeded in replacing those who walked out with new members, disassociating Al-Wasat from the Brotherhood was the real challenge. "This is why I deliberately applied for a second party, under the name of Egyptian Al-Wasat, only 48 hours after the court rejected our first application. I wanted to prove that we have members who believe in our platform and who are not affiliated with the Brotherhood in any way," he said.
But this time, there is no need to hurry. Habeeb's position may be another reason for the group to take time before making a fresh attempt.
"By making the two attempts, we already achieved what we wanted to do," Habeeb told Al-Ahram Weekly. "We gave expression to our ideas, what we stand for, and our desire to be part of political activity. Since gaining legality is a near impossibility, why should we go ahead with this?"
The fact that both their applications for a licence have been rejected shows that the government is not willing to accept legal party activity as it claims, argued Habeeb. "Suppose we are granted a licence in the future, there will be preconditions which, if we accept, will represent a loss for us."
He believes that Al-Wasat group should seek alternatives. "We should focus on the grassroots, using cultural, scientific and intellectual channels," he said. This could take the form of establishing a cultural organisation, a scientific centre or a social non-governmental organisation, he explained. "Of course, these alternatives are not a substitute for the wide range of activities a political party can exercise, but this is my view of an alternative," said Habeeb. And if Madi insists on applying for a party? "It is a matter of being convinced. If one is not convinced, one does not have to accept this," he responded.
Although Al-Wasat's lawyer, El-Awwa, threatened to walk out, Madi said he would continue to defend the case of the third "party".
But observers do not anticipate a licence for the new "party" in the near future. Although the Interior Ministry is employing a new strategy with Islamist groups, releasing thousands of detained Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiya members following a cease-fire call by their leaders, this should not be taken as a positive sign regarding Al-Wasat's situation, says Dia'a Rashwan, managing editor of the State of Religion in Egypt report, published by the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies. "The militant groups are a security issue, but Islamic groups, such as the Brotherhood or Al-Wasat, are a political issue, if one may say so," he argued. "The state still has no confidence in the latter. It believes they are playing the religion card. And this belief will not change in the near future," says Rashwan. "Egypt's experience with the Islamists is too complex and too old to change in a few years."
