Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 12 - 18 October 2000 Issue No. 503
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

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Quantum leap into the fray The ruling National Democratic Party has a new vision of, and for, the people in the upcoming parliamentary elections. General secretariat member Gamal Mubarak spoke to Nevine Khalil about revamping the majority party, bringing the younger generation into the fold and the new factors at play on the national political scene

What would you say distinguishes this year's parliamentary elections?

We are dealing with a completely different situation. In this day and age, the voters, and especially the younger generation, have the tools, education and awareness to analyse and see through the candidates and parties, and to choose those who genuinely mean what they say and are serious about serving them. And it's going to be even more different and challenging in 2005.

How will strict judicial supervision affect the elections?

The amendments are definitely a crucial step forward in the continuing political reform process. This has gone hand in hand with revising the lists of voters and automatically registering voters once they reach the legal voting age, which is 18. There is no doubt that judicial supervision of the entire election process is a step in the right direction.

Voters see these steps as encouraging, but we believe that this is not enough to make them go to the polls. The electorate needs a message, convincing candidates, clear programmes and an agenda to choose from. If we don't go out and deliver our message, we will have a heavy turnout of voters. But I can tell you with confidence that the NDP is on the move throughout the country.

The NDP has acquired a reputation of using violence in past elections; will it be different this time?

Let me mention here that the violence witnessed in the 1995 elections was not confined to the candidates of any particular party. It has been made very clear that no exceptions will be made this time for any party or candidate who tries to resort to violence or illegal methods. We are the biggest party, and we have to lead by example. We tell our supporters and constituents that this election is a battle for the future, a battle of ideas and programmes, not a battle of violence or a battle among enemies ó that is our message.

We really hope that this time we will have an election that is free of violence but that is intense on the level of ideas and programmes.

What were the criteria for choosing the Party's candidates this time around?

All candidates were screened at various levels and the criteria aimed to avoid the mistakes of the past. We wanted to reach out to new faces and include more women and more candidates representing the younger generation.

We also wanted to strike a balance between fielding new faces, and putting forward candidates who will bring in the votes. Based on this criteria, the 42 per cent of new faces on our list have achieved a lot of what aspired to do when we started the screening and selection process.

Why aren't you running in the coming elections?

Since the party did not put me on its ticket, I wasn't going to run as an independent. The party felt that there are other members who will do a better job this time around.

By not running, I will have more time to focus my attention and efforts, along with other members, on the challenges that lie ahead of us in our attempt to improve the party's effectiveness in reaching out to our supporters and members and enlarging our support base.

Would you have accepted had you been nominated?

This is a hypothetical question, and it's history now. I focus my attention on what I am asked to focus it on, which is to help revamp the party and work from within to reach out and to make sure the NDP becomes a more effective political force.

Should we expect that you will be one of the 10 MPs appointed by the president?

The constitution gives the president the authority to appoint 10 members. Only the president knows who these people will be. However, I don't believe I am a contender because, as I mentioned before, I was asked by the party to focus my efforts and attention on the challenges that lies ahead of us within the NDP.

It was announced recently that you will head the NDP's National Research Institutes; what do you hope to achieve there?

This is not true; I will not be heading the institutes you mention. Let me give you the background of the story. The NDP's National Research Institutes are intended to provide political education and training to young members of the party.

A month ago, the party's chairman, President Hosni Mubarak, approved the formation of a committee of members of the general secretariat, including myself, the minister of education and others, to evaluate these institutes and suggest ways of upgrading their activities.

This is essential to our new vision because we want the younger generation, whether within the party or in society at large, to have an effective role in politics and public participation. This will be difficult to achieve without proper political training and education.

What are your credentials for having such an active role in the ruling party?

First of all, I am one of 23 members of the general secretariat of the party and am not reflecting my own vision. When I speak out, I reflect the mainstream ideas of the party.

My assignment within the party, along with other colleagues, in building up to the elections is to address young members of the party. We inform them about the NDP programme, clarify misperceptions, listen to them, and address some of the criticisms directed at the party. We tell them how important it is for them to be out there, participating, convincing people that they should have a say at this very crucial juncture. We rely on the younger generation of members to go out and get the message across, and we equip them with the knowledge, experience, information and message to convince others to go to the polls.

As for my credentials, I guess you should ask the appointing institution that chose me. On my part, I'm determined to live up to the party's expectations of what I can deliver.

My membership in the NDP goes back a few years but, in general, I haven't been an active member. Last January, the general secretariat of the party was revamped, and around eight new members were brought in, and I was one of them.

We were given a clear mandate, which mainly focuses on improving the NDP's effectiveness, given the new challenges we are facing both in the domestic and international political arenas.

I am not working on my own as some people think; we are a group of 23, coordinating with dozens of different committees within the party.

So, why did you make this move into the political arena?

I did not join the party because I received a phone call saying "you're joining tomorrow" I was asked to join, I took some time to understand clearly what the party stands for, what its principles are.

I may personally disagree on some issues, but I agree with the party's mainstream ideas and principles, and can with conviction stand up and defend it.

This was the first entry point; since then, I have worked through the general secretariat on my assigned tasks, and have put forward my ideas and views.

Our discussions in the party are open, intense and very frank. We disagree internally, but close ranks out there on the political arena to defend the principles of the party we believe in. This, I believe, is the essence of party politics.

You have toured some 14 governorates on the campaign trail; what was that experience like?

I found that many people have the misconception that once the elections are over, members who were not nominated or who lost believe that their roles in public or party life are on hold for another five years. While elections are crucial, party work goes beyond the election period.

It is true that at the moment we are all working to support our candidates and trying to push our agenda forward. Once the elections are over, we will go back to work on our reform agendas, to meet the objectives I have outlined before.

There are two main points of criticism I hear from many people I meet as I tour. One is that party members are not as visible or forthcoming after the election is over. The second is that many members, especially the younger generation, don't have a clear vision of what the party really stands for.

We take such comments and criticism seriously; in fact we encourage self-criticism as a means of promoting reform and change. In addition, we face a challenge to increase party membership and make such members effective. We need to provide our members, especially the younger ones, with the opportunity to enhance their awareness of the political process and give them all the tools necessary to be not only effective members but also potential party leaders.

This is a big challenge for political parties and for the system in general, because we all agree that the younger generation is the future. I am promoting this myself because I really believe in it.

So, should we expect the old guard to be replaced with new cadres?

First, I don't like the expression 'old guard'. Second, we are talking about a continuous process of reform on the national level. And the NDP is an institution trying to reform itself to address and meet the new challenges ahead. If we are really serious about reaching out, and I'm sure we are, we have to be flexible enough to adapt to new challenges, and this has been the main thrust of our efforts over the past few months. We want to be more effective and attract new members who believe in us.

It is our responsibility to get our message out, correct misconceptions, debate and clarify issues, listen to problems, and make sure that our programme, as a party, and our actions and leadership, through our government, address such problems effectively.

Talking to people in the field is a very effective tool to get first-hand feedback. We encourage people to speak openly and freely because we want to listen to what they have to say. We also want people to lend us an ear after the elections and give us a chance to reach out to them. We need to change the way people view things.

If we really want dynamism and participation, we have to embrace new principles and address non-participants at the grassroots level.

But there were a lot of complaints within NDP ranks?

The issue of selection is subject to judgement, and NDP choices were bound to draw different reactions from hopefuls who really thought they had a better chance than those chosen by the party. We tried to convince them to stay back, telling them they are needed in the party post-election time. We told them that other elections, such as the Shura Council, are still ahead, that we have a huge agenda to push through, but obviously our message is not getting through to everybody. This is the root of the problem, but we are practical enough to know that we will not change well-entrenched beliefs overnight.

The interesting thing is that many of these candidates present themselves as 'NDP independents', because they are trying to use the NDP to gain support. The issue of NDP membership is very loose. There is a large membership base on paper, but how many are effective, participating members is yet to be seen and tested. But there is no such thing as 'NDP-independents.' You're either on the ticket or you're not.

Some 3,000 NDP members are running as independents; what will the party policy be if some of them are elected and decide to re-join official NDP parliamentary ranks?

First of all, I don't believe this number is correct; I believe it is much less. However, the phenomenon of the large number of independent candidates running in this election (as has been the case in previous elections) highlights the notion that the candidate does not believe that his chances of winning are reinforced by the backing of a political party.

Independent candidates will be running in this election because of their belief that their personal popularity in their constituency will win them the votes. What we will try to do in the coming few years is to emphasise to our members, and the electorate at large, that elections are mainly about political parties that have a plan, message and programme. Members who are put forward by these parties stand for the principles, programmes and message of the party.

We still have a long way to go, but once the elections are over, the entire picture will be clearer, and the party will decide what to do with these 'NDP-independents.' Some decisions have already been taken, including dismissal of members who decided to run against the party. We have sent out the signal that we are putting down new foundations and principles for party politics.

The party only fielded 11 women; how can women be encouraged to participate more forcefully?

There was a concerted effort to field more women than in previous elections. And over and above the 11 running on the party ticket, the NDP has said that any female member who wants to run as an independent will be supported and encouraged by the party.

This exception was made to signal that the party is really serious about trying to encourage women to participate.

You're fielding 100 new candidates, but only three Copts; what is the rationale behind these figures?

The selection process took some time because we wanted to introduce new faces without compromising our chances of winning a majority in the new parliament. As for the issue of Copts, that's not how we approach the process of choosing candidates. We are a party of inclusion, and do not look at the selection process in terms of ethnic or religious groupings.

The NDP is fielding six cabinet ministers; what is the possibility of a conflict of interest there, or of executive officials not having enough time to represent their constituencies adequately?

Our political system does not prevent ministers from becoming MPs, and it is up to each minister to convince his constituents that he can deliver as an MP as well as an executive official. As for whether they have time to be MPs, I believe the six who are running feel confident enough that they will manage their time well.

Businessmen have the lion's share on the party ticket. Why is that?

How do you define a businessmen? We don't classify candidates in such categories. In choosing a candidate, we have to make sure that he believes in the party's principles and can help the party through his popularity or skills. If he happens to be the owner of an industrial complex, a professional, a private sector leader, or leader in an NGO, that does not affect the criteria.

Can he get the job we want done or not, can he get us the votes, can he defend the party's principles and promote its programme? These are the questions we ask. is he a candidate we believe can serve his constituency well?

The NDP's reputation is tainted by corrupt deputies in the outgoing parliament. What is being done to weed them out of party ranks?

This time around we were very diligent in the selection process to ensure the candidates we are fielding have a clean bill of health. We screen them, but they can still go ahead and misuse their position anyway. We're not infallible in the selection process, although we applied strict criteria. You can't see into people's intentions, but when you fail in your judgement, you should be judged by the action you take to correct your mistake.

I was not involved in the selection process in 1995, but I assume that the party did not know that these deputies would act in this manner. Once the accusations were made public, parliament removed their immunity, the government filed lawsuits against them, and the judiciary passed the verdict. Obviously, they were expelled from the NDP.

Corruption is not a party issue, it is a national one. If there is credible evidence of corruption or criminal action, we should move not only to expel the perpetrator from a certain institution, but also to bring him before a court of justice. This is what happened to the MPs you mentioned.

What other shortcomings are there in the ranks of the ruling party?

I have mentioned before that we are facing a new set of challenges that require the NDP to become a more effective political force. We also encourage criticism and new ideas from within the party, and we listen to criticism from outside that can help us achieve our objectives. But don't forget that we are in an election season and the intensity of some criticism is meant to serve election purposes.

We have a mandate and an agenda: to streamline and improve our effectiveness from within and then, move aggressively, to reach out with our message to the public. Reform is a continuous process; this is a deeply rooted belief within the NDP. It guides our government in its efforts and it definitely guides us within the NDP as we move closer to the upcoming elections but, more importantly, as we move into the future beyond the elections.

Who is your biggest opposition at the polls?

Listening to commentators, it seems that our biggest opponents are the independents. Their numbers make each seat contested by an average of 10 candidates, which means that in many cases you'll have a second round of balloting and a lot of scattered votes.

It seems that dispersed votes are the biggest problem we will have. As for the opposition parties, we are taking each party and candidate very seriously. That is why we're on the move, responding to criticism, highlighting our achievements and, more importantly, talking about our programme for the future.

Your vision is very democratic, but do you believe that the opposition has enough freedom to air its views and rally support?

Why not? All parties are given the same air time on television to outline their respective programmes, and are invited to TV discussions on general issues where they explain their party's position. All parties and candidates also have an equal chance to hold "public meetings."

But in the state-owned media, no distinction is made between the government and the NDP. Ruling party rallies are broadcast on TV, but other parties are not given the same opportunity. Doesn't the party need to distance itself from the government to gain more credibility?

The government is the government. It conducts its business and it gets coverage in the media for conducting its business. Don't forget that this is the government of the NDP, not the other way round. The NDP, which is the core institution of the government in office today, is the one running in the elections and not the other way round. These are the kinds of issues we want to start clarifying to voters. Is the party being given more time to promote itself? No.

Some rallies get coverage when they are conducted concurrently with the government's daily business, but in any case this has not been the theme of this election campaign. A misperception, even among party members, is whether there is a distinction between the government and the party, and which is stronger.

It should be the party, because it is the institution which forms the government, but some people don't make that distinction. We're trying to clarify such issues within the party, to the electorate, and the public at large, but there's still a lot of work to be done.

Don't you think that the constraints imposed on the Islamists at the polls tarnish Egypt's image, as a democracy, abroad?

As much as the coming election is a step forward to promote participation in the political process, it will also be a message to the outside world, which sometimes tries to interpret certain policies in its own way. Our message is that we are a progressive society and well into a process of reform and transformation.

If I had to choose, I would focus my time and effort to make this message clear domestically. The view from abroad will follow the developments on the ground at home. You need only to look at the election and the political process 10 years ago, to see how far we've come.

What is the party's position regarding the opposition's demand for the amendment of the constitution?

Changing the constitution is not part of our political reform agenda at this juncture. We know that there are some who think changes should be made, but we believe that at this point in time it is uncalled for.

In fact, we have achieved many of our objectives over the past 15 years without the need to change the constitution, and we believe that not having tampered with the constitution before has given us the stability needed to achieve these goals. At this point, we don't believe that the constitution in its current form will hinder our political, economic and social reform agenda, which is detailed in our programme.

And the Emergency Law is seen as restrictive to political freedoms.

The Emergency Law was passed by parliament and will be up for review in two years. It is not used against political parties or against freedom of expression, but only in dealing with criminal and terrorist activities. As a matter of fact, we have achieved much on the political reform front in spite of the Emergency Law.

If you go around the country and ask people to list their 10 most important priorities, lifting the Emergency Law will not be one of them. As for those who attack the law for the sake of it, they should keep in mind that the use of this law successfully aborted some acts of terror meant to threaten the stability and development of this country.

What is the NDP's campaign strategy?

We started earlier this year with meetings across different levels and groupings within the party to consolidate the mainstream views of the party for the election campaign.

The result was a programme, which is out there, and now we are moving in many directions. First to support our candidates, with each candidate deciding on the best campaign strategy he has to adopt, because they know their constituencies better.

We are also focusing on a party message, which is delivered through the candidates or other party members. The message is what the NDP stands for, its achievements over the past years and, more importantly, our view, visions, plans and programmes for the future. Unfortunately, the electorate still looks at a candidate as an individual, his popularity, personal credibility; but we want to focus on the candidate's strength through the backing of the party. This is an issue that is not yet deeply rooted in our society.

We are fighting for every seat. We are not approaching these elections with the mentality that we are the biggest party around and that we are destined to win the majority. We respect the voters' opinions, understand their problems and are keen to reach out to them with our vision and try and get their support. We're not taking anyone's support for granted.

Our programme theme in these elections is entitled: The National Programme for Modernisation of the State and Reinforcing the Role of Institutions.

What are the main features of the NDP's programme for this election?

The main principles of the party's programme are comprehensive reform and development on all fronts. We believe that in order to attain our objectives in the coming five to 10 years, we should no longer depend solely on the government as the dominant player in all sectors. But we add to this that the role of the government should remain very strong in basic sectors that mainly cater to the most needy members of society, in addition to its important role as a regulator, arbitrator and law-enforcer.

The other main element in our programme is institution building. We believe more attention needs to be given to institutions in the economic, political and social fields. We also talk about a number of laws which the NDP wants to pass in the next parliament, the need to reform school curriculums to teach the young the principles of political participation, champion human rights, freedom of expression and the role of the judiciary.

While campaigning, we try to explain this in simple terms and how this affects the average man on the street. Reaching out not only means conveying a message, but giving details of what it all means.

We also hope to have a wide discussion, even among our opponents and with NGOs, about this after the elections are over. We are not assuming that we know it all and can fix it all on our own, but we strongly believe that we have a clear vision of how to go forward to achieve the aspirations of the people.

Le me say here, that we believe that the non-governmental sector is crucial in helping us achieve our objectives, and we view its role as a building block in our political, economic and social agenda. At the same time, we believe there is a need to revamp the role and activities of political parties. They have a role to play in educating young people, bringing them into the fold, equipping them with the necessary tools, then depending on them to fight for the party, convey the message, and attract more members. We have to start with ourselves, and make a quantum leap within the NDP.

What do you expect to achieve in this election campaign?

We have three objectives in these elections. One, win the majority of seats; two, convince people to participate; three, be convincing enough for to attract non-participants to join us and help in achieving our objectives beyond the elections.

In our programme, we briefly state what we have achieved, then lay out the challenges ahead. Granted, we still have unfinished business on all fronts, but we have to defend our record against accusations by the opposition that our reform programmes have not been effective. It's fair enough that they air these views, but it's our responsibility to explain otherwise.

We emphasise the achievements of the government over the past 10 years, not for the sake of repetition, but to inform the younger generation how far we have come. We cannot give them faith in the future if we cannot demonstrate that in the recent past this society, despite the challenges, managed to achieve this much. Some parties try to discredit all these achievements for the sake of party politics, but our message is to give hope to the young generation.

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Related stories:
The scramble beings
New strategy for new faces 18 - 24 May 2000
A younger NDP? 10 - 16 February 2000
See Elections 2000, The 1995 Elections

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