Soapbox:

Not just a press crisis

By Ayman Abdel-Wahab

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Mutual support? Forget it Our divisions help no one

The trials of several chief editors offer opportunity to contemplate not only the freedom of the press in this country, but to assess other aspects of our political life as well. The trials accentuate the split between the government and the opposition with regard to reform and democratisation. Obviously, you cannot have reform without consensus, but for some reason our political elite seems to think otherwise. Democracy is a process of continual compromise. We cannot aspire to have freedom unless we're willing to appreciate the views of our opponents.

The Press Syndicate became embroiled in the matter right away, and what a thankless job that proved to be. Within days it was under fire for not standing up firmly enough to the government. Is this a fair criticism? Could one have expected the syndicate to turn things around overnight? First of all, the syndicate is not a pressure group. Perhaps it should be, but it never had the chance to play that role in the past and it is not qualified to do so in the present. The syndicate is a bureaucratic agency, one that works under close government supervision, and one that has other things on its mind, such as the day-to- day needs of the profession. It could, of course, venture into political activism, but would it succeed?

Unless it changes its structure and mode of operation, the syndicate cannot suddenly turn into an arm of the opposition. So let's not raise our expectations for now. You want reform in this country? Well, let's start by building consensus. Let's start by developing better communication between society and the state. Perhaps then we would be able to do things better. Perhaps then we would listen to each other more and learn how to look for the things we have in common.

This week's Soapbox speaker is deputy chief editor of The Arab Strategic Report .