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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 July 2000 Issue No. 489 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 July 2000 Issue No. 489
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region Focus International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Insidious ills
By Salama Ahmed Salama
The court verdict in the loan deputies case had repercussions in various directions. Some people saw it as conclusive evidence of the fairness and independence of the judiciary and even gave credit to the state for its decision to let justice take its course without intervening. This behaviour applies to any law-abiding country, however, and is hardly worthy of mention. Others read in the verdict a disciplinary action to prevent unscrupulous entrepreneurs from profiting illegally, and called for the institution of further safety controls. The echoes of the ruling on the current economic recession in both the short and long terms still needs to be assessed, however.
The gravest aspect of the case, I believe, is the political cover provided by the National Democratic Party to a number of its deputies, propelling them to key positions in the economy and in the banking sector. Wielding uncontested power, they used their parliamentary immunity to plunder bank funds, almost causing total economic collapse. The security forces compounded the situation by allowing nine of those convicted to flee the country.
Economic corruption invariably follows political deterioration. A monopoly on power and political activity breeds corruption leading to disasters that are difficult to control. The NDP is responsible for the situation on all levels: political, moral, and historical. The party's methods in selecting its candidates, the commitments it expects of them, the kind of support it provides and exemptions it makes, the protection it extends during election campaigns -- all these are covert practices, with good reason. Rising in the party ranks depends to an almost negligible degree on popular support and to a great extent on commitment to the party. A willingness to scratch backs and an insatiable desire for wealth are the necessary credentials for those who aspire to the highest echelons of authority.
These facts have been vividly illustrated by the corruption and despicable behaviour of members of the outgoing parliament. The fairness of the election that brought large numbers of them to the People's Assembly was contested in a long series of cases. Many accusations of fraud were endorsed by the Court of Cassation, but parliament rejected its rulings and the state had to pay large sums in indemnities. Most of the deputies whose election was justly contested, of course, were members of the NDP.
It is absurd to boast about tight security and the fairness of our judiciary, but equally untenable to dismiss the corruption of our political elite on the grounds that corruption is rampant everywhere. Too often we place heavy burdens on the shoulders of our judiciary, burdens that are the task of the politicians in power. In addition to its basic task, the judiciary today is required to adjudicate in disputes concerning the fairness of elections, in parliament, syndicates, clubs, etc, and to decide whether new legislation conforms with the Constitution. When the judiciary is expected to take decisive decisions in society's stead, and to rule on conflicts between political bodies, we stand at the edge of the abyss.
Parliamentary elections must be fair to reflect the will of the people, and to be effective agents of change. But when the legislature or parliament cease to fulfill their role because of corruption, the press, debilitated by censorship, fails to respond as it should. When political parties grow marginal and political forces become obsolete, the state, which perceives civil society with hostility, restricts their activity and weakens them further. Then we know that we are suffering from chronic and irreversible political stagnation.
We need to introduce appropriate legal controls and rigourous standards for the selection of candidates from the majority party in the upcoming elections. We must guarantee that the elections are fair and clean. We must avoid repeating past errors and allowing certain individuals to erode the regime's credibility far more than any lawsuit contesting the results could have done.
