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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 March 2000 Issue No. 472 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 March 2000 Issue No. 472
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Focus Books Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Enter number 15
By Shaden ShehabThe Political Parties Committee approved last week the establishment of Al-Wifaq Al-Qawmi (national conciliation) party, raising the number of political parties to 15. The committee, which is an affiliate of the Shura Council, is responsible for licensing new parties. It has turned down dozens of applications since 1978. The main reason for refusals has been that the proposed platforms did not differ from those of existing parties -- a pre-condition imposed by the 1977 Political Parties Law.
Counsellor Rifaat Abdel-Moneim Ibrahim, a committee member, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the new party "met the conditions stipulated by the Political Parties Law". He added that the committee had previously rejected the founding of other parties "because they did not meet these conditions and not because the committee is against the formation of new political parties".
Party chairman Ahmed Abdel-Latif Shoheib was a member of the "Free Officers" movement that overthrew the monarchy in 1952. He told the Weekly, "Our platform is different from that of any other party. We wish to unite the Arab world against the dangers of Zionism and globalisation." He affirmed that "we are not Nasserists, leftists, rightists or even centrists. We are a national, Arab, Egyptian party calling for the unity of Arabs".
Secretary-General Mohamed Abdullah Aql was previously a member of the Supreme Council of the Islamist-oriented Labour Party. He was also a member of parliament from 1971 until 1976. Aql told the Weekly that he was a founder of the Nasserist Party but he and others left due to differences of opinion and joined Labour. Fifteen of the founders of the Al-Wifaq Al-Qawmi Party were Labour Party members.
Aql said that there are three major provisions in the platform that distinguish it from those of other parties. The first is that "Egypt should possess nuclear weapons in order to maintain peace in the region. It is true that Egypt is a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but Israel did not sign. Peace cannot be a reality unless there is a balance of force in the region."
The second provision calls for "an Arab-African union to face the dangers of globalisation, Americanisation, and the anticipated water [shortage] problem". The third plank stipulates that the chairman and secretary-general of the party are elected for non-renewable four-year terms.
"The idea of establishing the party was first mooted when Iraq was being bombed at the end of 1997," Aql said, adding that the group's principal aim is to "revive the national spirit".
"We had originally wanted to name the party "Al-Inqaz Al-Qawmi" [national salvation] but opted instead for Al-Wifaq Al-Qawmi, out of our own free will and not because the Political Parties Committee told us to, as many had assumed," he explained.
Aql denied that the new party's ideology was similar to that of the Nasserists: "No, we are not Nasserists."
Abul-Ela Madi, the Islamist would-be founder of the Wassat [centre] Party, which was turned down by the Political Parties Committee, commented: "Any new party with whatever ideology is welcome. The approval of the Political Parties Committee is a reason for optimism because it could mean that it might begin to approve other parties." However, Madi added that a possible reason for the approval could be to "undermine the Nasserist and Labour parties. The new party's ideology is similar to that of the Nasserists and a number of founders were Labour Party members".
"This is an insult to the committee," Aql responded. "The committee's task is not to cause differences between parties; it works for the national interest."
There are 14 other political parties. The new party was the sixth to be approved by the committee which earlier had licensed the establishment of the Labour, Tagammu, Misr Arab Socialist, Liberal and Wafd parties. The remaining nine political parties were established on the authority of court orders.
The late President Anwar El-Sadat issued a decree prohibiting those who had held high positions before the anti-monarchy revolution from political party membership. The decree appeared to be directed against Wafd leader Fouad Serageddin and Secretary-General Ibrahim Farag. The Wafd reacted by deciding to "freeze" its activities. The party was rejected by the committee in 1982 when it attempted to stage a comeback, but the Wafd subsequently won a court order in its favour.
In 1953, one year after the revolution, all political parties were dissolved and their funds confiscated. Under the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser, there was a sole political party -- the Arab Socialist Union. El-Sadat decided to revert to the multi-party system in 1976, but with restrictions. At first, he introduced the idea of manabir (forums), representing left, centre and right within the Arab Socialist Union.
The Political Parties Law was enacted in 1977. Parties were required to have 20 members of the People's Assembly among the founders and thus had to persuade already elected members to join. The law also gave parties the right to publish newspapers.
Mamdouh Salem's Misr Arab Socialist party became the centre, the Tagammu, led by Khaled Mohieddin, the left, and Mustafa Kamel Murad's Socialist Liberals the right.
