Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 28 Sep. - 4 Oct. 2000 Issue No. 501
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

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'As ready as we could be'

Noaman Gomaa

Noaman Gomaa, 66, is the newly-elected chairman of the Wafd Party. His own party membership does not date back to the days preceding the 1952 revolution, which disbanded political parties. But he was one of the founders when the Wafd staged a comeback in 1978. He became assistant secretary-general in 1986, rising to the position of senior deputy chairman in 1989.

Gomaa failed to win a seat in the last parliamentary elections of 1995, which initially made him reluctant to contest the coming elections.

Gomaa was born in the Nile Delta town of Shebin El-Kom, obtained a bachelor's degree in law from Cairo University in 1956 and joined the army as a volunteer in the same year, while the nation faced the Anglo-French-Israeli aggression. Captured by French forces, he later managed to escape. He served as an assistant district attorney until 1961. Winning a scholarship for advanced studies in France, he obtained a PhD from the Sorbonne in 1966 and later taught law there. Upon his return to Egypt in 1970, he joined the staff of Cairo University's Faculty of Law and also began a law practice. In 1988 he became the faculty dean.

Why was the Wafd so late in publishing the names of its candidates?

Unfortunately, Fouad [Serageddin] Pasha's death delayed things a little bit. But we are as ready as we could be. Considerable time was also consumed in checking the candidates' records because we have to be careful that no one will tarnish the party's name in any way. Another reason is that we have a large number of candidates, about 300. We hope to win 100 seats.

Don't you think that's rather optimistic. After all, the party's representation in outgoing parliaments was quite modest. Or is there some sort of coordination with the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) that should guarantee a large number of seats?

Our popularity is unquestionable; we are a very strong party. We are optimistic, especially since the elections will be held under judicial supervision.

There is no coordination between us and any other party. We have candidates running against cabinet ministers.

How do you evaluate the Wafd's performance in the outgoing People's Assembly?

Of course it was modest because of the small number of Wafdist deputies. The limited scope of representation certainly had a negative impact on performance.

The party is known to advocate national unity as well as women's rights. Why was this not reflected in the number of Copts and women chosen to contest the elections?

We chased after them all -- young people, Copts and women -- literally chased after them. They shied away from nominating themselves.

You have repeatedly announced that the party will undergo crucial changes. Does this mean that you do not approve of the way Fouad Serageddin ran the party?

The powers given to the Pasha as chairman were on a par with his grandiose character. I do not claim to be a leader or a national celebrity. Therefore, democracy and dialogue with all Wafd members will prevail. All Wafdists should feel that they are chairmen of the party, and this will be emphasised by the way in which decisions will be collectively reached.

Was the removal of Said Abdel-Khaleq from his post as co-editor-in-chief of the party's mouthpiece, Al-Wafd, part of the promised changes?

It was not planned, but rather was due to aggressive actions taken by Said against the deputy chief editor for financial affairs, Boutros Salib. One of them had to leave. Salib is irreplaceable. I regard him as my protector since I am not well versed in finance.

Said insulted Salib in my presence. It is a matter related to the integrity of the party. Said is my friend but running the party in the right way is something else altogether.

You are known to oppose many government actions and yet you were the defence attorney of Youssef Wali [deputy prime minister and minister of agriculture] in the libel suit brought against Al-Shaab journalists. Why was that?

The campaign against Wali undermined the principle of press freedom. It is not acceptable that this sort of harmful and humiliating language be used. Still, I did not want the journalists to be imprisoned. I expected that they would be fined. And it is no secret that Wali is an old friend of mine.

t has been said that you engineered the coalition between the Wafd and the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1984 elections, in particular defending several Brotherhood figures in your capacity as a lawyer. Is this true?

I do not hesitate to stand by them or any other party or political force, but the 1984 coalition was not my idea. [The late] Omar El-Telmessani [Supreme Guide of the Brotherhood at the time] met [the late] Fouad Pasha and [the late] Ibrahim Farag [the Wafd's secretary-general at the time] and argued that, since the elections were being held on the basis of the slate system, some Brotherhood candidates should be allowed to run on our list. They accepted.

It was not a coalition in the real sense of the word. We did not give up our principles and neither did they; it was simply a joint list.

It is common knowledge that the Wafd Party, especially the late Fouad Serageddin, has regarded the 1952 revolution as a straightforward military coup. What is your personal assessment?

This is an old story. Why are we still disputing whether it was a coup or a revolution? What difference does it make?

What we can say is that it was a grand event that introduced basic changes to society. Like all Egyptians, I was extremely happy on that day. What I have against the Nasser era is its violation of human rights.

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Related stories:
Collective sigh of relief 7 - 13 September 2000
Succession contest turns ugly 31 August - 6 September 2000
Stepping into the pasha's shoes 24 - 30 August 2000
See also The 1995 elections

 

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