Al-Ahram Weekly Issue No. 246 9 - 15 November 1995
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

Unfinished business

I believe the Nasserists' chances in the coming elections are very slim, but I don't wish to underestimate them. It is too early to judge the performance of the party, since it is the newest on the domestic political scene. But the fact that it only nominated a small number of candidates indicates that it has not yet finished its political preparations.

The future success of the party will depend on its ability to unite all the Nasserist currents in society, thus turning the party into a grassroots movement. If the party leadership succeeds in uniting these currents into one group, it will be one of the most important and efficient on the domestic political scene.

What is promising is that there is a large number of politically cultured young people inside the party who have a good understanding of the prevailing conditions and who can provide new ideas.

In order to succeed, the Nasserist Party should take two important facts into account. The first is that the domestic, regional and international conditions that accounted for the emergence of Nasserism have changed completely and that a repeat of the golden Nasserist era of the 1960s is impossible. The second is that it has become imperative to build up Nasserism without Abdel-Nasser and without the Nasserists being in power. However, if the party fails in this task, this will not mean the demise of Nasserist ideology.

Hassan Nafaa
Professor of political science, Cairo University

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Packaged nostalgia

The fact that the Nasserist Party could not nominate more than 42 candidates in the upcoming elections indicates a lack of grassroots support. Moreover, its newspapers' circulation is no more than 40,000. Therefore, we should not expect the party to win more than four or five seats in the new People's Assembly, and those seats will be won by candidates who have social, rather than political, support.

The limited political space within which the party is active is partly due to the fact that it is a new party, partly because it represents the Nasserist "old guard", and partly because of internal divisions.

The party is not a true representative of the Nasserist sentiment in this country, which is much larger than the party's scope. The party's platform is inconsistent. While showing a readiness to participate in development programmes, it centralises economic power in the government's hands.

The platform also fails to take into account many of the changes which have taken place in Egypt, the region and the world. It advocates the dominance of the public sector, at a time when all the world is privatising.

What the party should have offered is Nasserism 1995-style. But instead the Nasserists talk with nostalgia about something which they believe can work at all times, as if it were a religion. Politics means the ability of ideologies to adjust to changes.

And yet, the party can still have a future because there is widespread sentiment in favour of national independence, social justice and the link between Egypt and the rest of the Arab world. The Nasserist package continues to be influential in this country.

Abdel-Moneim Said
Director of the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies

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Desperately seeking Nasser

Although the Nasserist Party takes a nationalist stance on domestic and foreign policy issues, and although it is influential among intellectuals, it has not yet managed to raise grassroots support. I doubt that it has reached down to the peasants and workers, but this is difficult to judge because it has not contested elections before.

This lack of support may be due to restrictions on the activities of political parties, but it is also due to the fact that although many people are aware of what the party is against, few of them know what it stands for. It has not offered detailed alternative to many policies of the National Democratic Party government, both domestic and foreign, which it rejects.

The new realities in the Middle East and the world make it necessary for the party to adapt its discourse, methods of action and platform, without necessarily abandoning its principal goals. Another point of weakness is the party's internal divisions and infighting. Party members are always dreaming of a charismatic leader like Nasser, which blinds them to the necessity of establishing strong new cadres.

Although nearly 25 years have passed since Nasser's death, people are nostalgic for his days, when national dignity was of paramount importance. But I believe that large sections of society are not aware of the party's existence. However, I also believe that the party has a future because many government policies are unpopular. Many people will find the Nasserist Party an appealing alternative.

Mustafa Kamel El-Sayed
Professor of political science, Cairo University

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