New chairman, same centre
Will recent elections at the Tagammu' Party change the party's style of work? Mona El-Nahhas looks for answers
Mohieddin
El-Said
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Khaled Mohieddin has headed the Tagammu' Party for 25 years. When the 81-year-old chairman stepped down at the party's fifth general congress in December, he -- for all practical purposes -- became the first party chairman ever to do so. Mohieddin's decision stemmed from his insistence on applying Article 8 of the party statutes, which bans members from remaining in leading posts for more than eight years.
A majority of party members opposed the decision. During the congress's opening session, Mohieddin stressed that it did not mean that he would abandon the party altogether. In fact, the congress chose him to chair a consultative committee that will advise the party's leadership.
"By doing this," said Hussein Abdel-Razeq, who was elected the party's new secretary-general, "Mohieddin sent a message to all other political institutions, in the hope that the principle of power rotation may become universal."
Rifaat El-Said -- who has held the party's secretary- general post since 1992 -- was elected chairman. He ran uncontested after several other senior party leaders declined to nominate themselves, joining Mohieddin's consultative committee instead. Although Abdel-Razeq said their decisions were based on a feeling that they would not be able to compete with El-Said, other sources close to the party hinted that it may have had more to do with their being unable, unlike El-Said, to adopt policies that were harmonious with the government.
The contest for the secretary- general's post was far fiercer. Abdel- Razeq, who has been the party's deputy secretary-general for political affairs since 1998, narrowly defeated Sayed Abdel-Al, a member of the party's central secretariat. The 265- member central committee elected by the general congress -- which is in itself a gathering of 800 party representatives from across the country -- did the voting. Abdel-Razeq got 113 votes to Abdel-Al's 107.
The first meeting of the party's new political bureau will be held next Saturday. Analysts are predicting that the party will find itself torn between the philosophies of El-Said -- who has lately been criticised for shifting the party's stance from the left to the governmental left -- and Abdel-Razeq, known for his harsh criticism of the government.
According to Abdel-Razeq, the party will not be split. "We may differ with each other, yet we usually reach a compromise. Decisions are never made unilaterally. Everything needs majority consent."
Abdel-Razeq told Al-Ahram Weekly that the party intends to be much more bold in its opposition to governmental policies. "In this way, any misunderstanding concerning a rapprochement between the party and the government will be cleared up," he said.
In his view, this was precisely what the party needed to regain its popularity. Its membership -- which peaked at nearly 150,000 in the late '70s -- has dwindled down to 30,000 today.
El-Said's take seemed a bit different. He said the party line did not need to be amended, explaining that "while opposing government policies and attitudes, [we] are always keen on being objective and not attacking individuals. We are not going to be dragged into a quarrel with the government."
This dynamic seemed to already be present at the congress. While several participants called for a clear and decisive stance against the regime, others -- including Mohieddin -- said the president of the republic should not be a target for party criticism. The gathering also agreed to resume its dialogue with the NDP, even though similar experiences in the past had proved fruitless.
The congress called for a boost of the party's "rapprochement" with the masses. "Only by doing this will the government find it necessary to respond to our demands," Abdel-Razeq said. As part of this initiative, the congress called for major reform of the government's economic policy, in order to offset the rapid increase in the prices of nearly all services and commodities.
The congress also called for an end to the NDP's monopoly over state bodies, an abolition of the emergency law, lifting the shackles that have been imposed upon the press, civil society organisations and opposition parties, and more consent for demonstrations and peaceful marches.
As for foreign policy, the congress recommended that the nature of the Egyptian-American relationship be reconsidered, with a goal towards eliminating any interference in Egyptian affairs.
The congress also amended and approved the party's political report, which criticised the regime and the government, as well as the party's performance itself. In this connection, the congress suggested that membership should be boosted, and problematic issues within party ranks settled. In addition, it recommended that a democratic leftist coalition including Nasserists, Communists and the Tagammu' should be formed.
In Abdel-Razeq's view, demanding comprehensive political reform should be the party's top priority. In this respect, the congress recommended that "the referendum system for choosing the president should be replaced by free elections. The president should abandon his political affiliation while occupying the post."
The party's stance on Islamist parties seemed confused. While admitting that all political trends had the right to form parties based on whatever ideology they chose, the congress also stressed its rejection of both an Islamist state and Islamist parties, and urged that political Islamist currents be confronted.
As such, the party seemed to be backing off from the recommendation -- made in its political report -- that Islamist political parties should be allowed. El-Said, known for taking harsh stances against Islamists, was thought to be the catalyst of this shift.
