Politicians Draw Reform Road Map in Egypt

Politicians Draw Reform Road Map in Egypt


demanded by all Egyptians across the political, intellectual and social spectrums. Many compatriots even work for reaching this reform in order to improve the currently deteriorating conditions of the Egyptians. Some people say that government’s version of reform is primarily ceremonial and doesn’t serve people. This can be easily proved by the nearly daily demonstrations and protests nationwide because of the current repression of freedoms and for demanding the simplest rights for a decent life for citizens.



Ikhwanweb opened the issue of the real road map for reform, with a number of Egyptian prominent figures, seeking better solutions for a real reform and change in Egypt.




This Regime Cant Stop its Totalitarian Rule, Corrupt Policies



Dr. Abdul Halim Kandeel, spokesman for Kifaya (Enough) Movement, Egyptian opposition movement, said:” The current Egyptian regime believes only in looting public property, and its weapon is imposing a public suppression. Injustice that emerge in the tyrannical policies or unjust social policies and the violation of rights are widespread everywhere in Egypt. Corruption and public looting are the basis of the current Egyptian.”



Kandeel said that the current ruling regime is ” obsessed with looting wealths and full control over power. It is a regime which is surrounded by clique of beneficiaries, opportunists and businessmen. It definitely depends on an iron fist and security forces to that subjugate all the country.”



Kandeel added that:” It is impossible for this ruling regime to stop its totalitarian rule or corrupt policies. It is absurd to think that this regime will change when people try to run for elections. The latest Shura Council elections proved this: that any real reform can’t be reached under this corrupt regime.”



The solution for reaching reform in Egypt, according to Kandeel, is that:” Reform can’t be reached in this country through raising arms or calling for violence. It can be reached through calling for sit-ins and rallying people. Calling for peaceful strikes, demonstrations and sit-ins. The wider grassroots have started to move. During the last six months, many people have expressed their views through many ways, demanding varying matters. How to unite these demands is the task of the politicians.”



Kandeel adds:” I think all political powers- or Egyptian sincere citizens- those who believe in the concept of freedoms across the political and religious spectrums. I think such a gathering of all Egyptian powers will be, according to Kifaya Movement, a gathering for awareness and seeking strength from people to attain the required change. This does not depend on the idea of parties at all. It is based on those who believe that elections and persuasion failed to attain change and that the only method for change is promoting people”s awareness and develop people”s reaction to the policy of submission in order to reach civil disobedience.”


 


Kandeel wonders “Do these powers or political movements which are continuously complaining have power to form such an alliance so that it spearheads a peaceful and social movement?. We want to seek more methods other than this complaining. I think people leads political powers nowadays by many steps. Will we learn from people and notice what they do?. I think there is no other way.”



He concludes saying:” The concept of freedom in Egypt is related to the end of this regime.”




Gov”t No Longer Ashamed of Its Notorious Actions



For his part, Sobhi Saleh, a Muslim Brotherhood MP, said:



“This regime is bankrupt by the full meaning of the word. It no longer has any thing to give to people. The National Democratic Party has, along with its successive governments, gone bankrupt legally, politically, and even scrupulously. The government is no longer ashamed of its notorious actions. It gives no heed to people”s protests or criticism.”



Saleh added that:” We should maintain this strong opposition, i.e. that all attitudes are positive, strong and move in one direction. We must continue exposing its scandals and show people its deviation. While the ruling regime is defending itself through the use of the survival instinct, we should defend through the use of the instinct of aspiration for the future.”



Dr. Gihad Awda, a professor, head of the department of political sciences at Helwan University and a member of the NDP”s policies committee, said the Egyptian government is taking many steps for reform. “There is a continuous reform in Egypt. It may be slow, may be still little but- we must admit- there is reform in Egypt.”



Awad added that:” There are several initiatives for reform in our country. This can be clearly traced through Egypt”s domestic, regional and international roles. Dr. Awda then attacked the Muslim Brotherhood in particular. “There are anti-reform parties in Egypt, including the Muslim Brotherhood group which raises the slogan ” Islam is the solution “, a religious slogan that doesn”t serve reform. They use many methods to call for reform in order lure people.”



Asked whether the Egyptian people has any role in reform, Gihad Awda said:” All popular powers should cooperates to help in the reform process in Egypt all. The government can”t reach the required reform in Egypt. All people should close ranks do their role to serve our homeland and help it to improve.”




Magdi Saad, a Muslim Brotherhood young man, has an opposite view. He said ” What is currently taking place in Egypt, including the various forms of opposition, are a very natural reaction. They are actually so weak when compared with forms of opposition that may take place in other countries. People”s nationwide protests and vigils aren”t carried out for the sake of freedoms or political issues. These crowds are actually moving and protesting to demand key rights related to their sources of living. According, the regime is moving away from issues of public freedoms. It partially solves simple problems through giving bribes to those leading opposition in these protests, like what happened in the strikes of Al-Azhar teachers, and some factories at Kafr Al-Dawar. As protests are gaining steam every day, the government has started to pacify people with some simple means, but it has never tackled issues of freedoms or any issue other than demands for sources of living .”



Rafik Habib a noted Coptic intellectual, said:” Unfortunately, the main obstacle to reform is that a clique of opportunists assume power in the country. This clique rejects any kind of reform. A possible scenario is that change hopefully takes place inside this clique. I think this won”t take place at the time being. There is another possible outlet: that societal pressures and domestic alliances snowball in a way that forces this clique to seek reform. Another scenario is that state bodies reach some kind of weakness that may allow security mess in the Egyptian street, making this clique change its path. Conflicts may also aggravate inside ruling elite itself, making some of them to reform current situations, spread chaos or making a kind of civil disobedience to compel this ruling clique to seek reform.”



Habib adds that” We hope there is a popular pressure on the ruling regime to make it seek reform. The best method for reform that people, led by the various political movements representing it, move to have reform implemented on the ground. This is the safest method for reform. However, this method faces a main obstacle: during the past 25 years political awareness has been frozen. The political movement in the Egyptian street faced unprecedented violations, to the extent that any political movement from the street has become impossible.



There is another problem, adds Habib, which is that all effective political powers are currently absent from the Egyptian street. Only Islamic movements, specially the Muslim Brotherhood, are the ones who still have weight in the street. This actually blocks any possible coalition that includes a number of political powers, leaving it to one single political power. It is very difficult that one political power faces alone the ruling regime, specially under a US-led world war under claims of fighting terrorism and Islamic powers, including even moderate powers.”



Rafik Habib”s conclusion is similar Abdul Halim Kandeel”s. he said:



“We hope peaceful change overcome so that it protects our country. We hope people maintain pressures to force the regime into moving to improve human rights, seek democracy and gradual reform.”