Just a reminder

By El-Sayed Eleiwa

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The issuing by the National Democratic Party of a bill on the rights of citizens during its second annual conference may be seen as part of the ongoing tug of war between the state and people. It may also be viewed as a one-sided social contract by which the government commits itself to certain norms. It is a reasonably worded document and is rich in recommendations. But it fails to show how they will become reality.

The bill reveals the ceiling for the constitutional reform so adamantly demanded by the Egyptian people. It reveals the NDP's "new thinking" as nothing but a re-hashing of old ideas which reproduces many of the current constitution's texts and laws.

The bill, though, can also be viewed as a safety-valve that diffuses external pressure and internal frustration over the unrealised demands for reform. However, like the countless other bills drafted, but then undermined or embellished with endless political and economic promises, the NDP bill will in the end most probably be shelved.

It is better to see it then as a cultural manifesto which reminds Egyptians of their rights. This is how the bill defined itself when it said that one of its objectives was to "acquaint the citizen of his basic rights and instill awareness... and [act as] an incentive for (citizens) to insist on and exercise their rights."

The bill did not specify the duration of time needed to transform its recommendations into laws. It asserted the significance of steps already undertaken such as cancelling state security courts and hard labour sentences and establishing a national council for human rights. It cited these as cornerstones of the NDP's agenda for citizenship rights. Yet these cornerstones are undermined by the emergency law, slow litigation, trying civilians in military courts and preventing the release of prisoners who have ended their jail terms.

The bill emphasises the right to free education and free health care at a time when state academic and health institutions can barely cope with rising demand. The same holds true for government promises to provide employment at a time when the state is relinquishing its role in this respect as part of a privatisation process which has seen the laying off of thousands of workers. Promises to reinforce political and civil rights can also be seen within the context of the state's political monopoly and its refusal to amend the constitution.

In the end, nothing may be left of the bill and its 19 rights save yet more controversy if political authority in Egypt resides in "the party's government" or "the government's party".

This week's Soapbox speaker is a journalist and researcher in political science.