By Mohammed Baali
Albawaba.com - Cairo
A decision by Egyptian authorities to ban the National Wifaq Party has raised many questions about democratic life in the Arab African state, where seven out of 16 licensed parties have been banned.
Albawaba.com interviewed a Wifaq leader, Ahmed Shuhaib, who began his political life in 1946 with the “Free Officers’ Movement” and participated in the 1952 Egyptian revolution which ousted King Farouq.
Shuhaib held many top posts and became a member of Parliament in the late 1960s. He was imprisoned during the tenure of the late Egyptian president Anwar Al Sadat for his opposition to the regime.
Following are excerpts from the interview:
Q. What is going on inside the Wifaq Party?
A. I learned about the ban on the party from local newspapers, but I have not been notified officially. The media reports said that the decision had been made due to rivalry among the party leaders, which should be settled by mutual consent or by the courts.
But I would like to point out that when the party members went to [our] headquarters, they found it surrounded by a large number of policemen and other forces. The members were denied access to the building.
What is the relationship between this and the rivalry for the party leadership? [Egyptian party] regulations don’t deny party members access to their offices under any circumstances. What has happened is a violation of the Constitution, the law and the rules.
Q. Analysts say that your party was banned because of your plans to form a coalition with the Muslim Brotherhood, and because you provided a journalist from the banned Al Shaab newspaper with facilities at your paper, Al Qarar. What are your comments on this?
A. This analysis only serves the regime’s ends when it wants to attack democracy.
The Muslim Brotherhood journalists have not written a single word in the 27 issues of the newspaper. We opened our newspaper to leaders from the Communist, Nasserist and Liberal parties, and none of the Muslim Brotherhood members wrote a word in our newspaper. How can they say that we intended to form a coalition with them?
As for Al Shaab’s journalists, we have given them the chance to write in our newspaper because we advocate on behalf of all those whom the regime strips of the constitutional right to freedom of speech. They aren’t criminals who should be punished for their writing. The court has issued 11 verdicts permitting the re-issuance of Al Shaab. We will eventually open our newspaper to every honest journalist who abides by our political line, which is the core of our struggle with the regime.
We say no to Israeli arrogance and American domination, while the regime and the leaders of the ruling National Democratic Party hail the cooperation between Egypt and both Israel and US. They even announce in the local newspapers that cooperation with Israel in the agricultural sector enhances the Egyptian economy.
We believe that we should not take part in these shameful scandals because our principles and history do not allow us to do so. Therefore, we say no, particularly in view of the fact that everybody has now become aware of the Zionist regime’s greediness, and its Nazis and Fascist aggression against Arabs and Muslims.
Q. Is it true that your publication, in its last issue, criticized President Hosni Mubarak as being behind the ban on the party?
A. That’s right. The party deputy head, Mahmoud Zaher, published an article in the latest issue in which he discussed the promises made by the president regarding the cabinet reshuffle and the appointment of a vice president. Zaher asked the president, in the article, whether he wants to - or is unable to - make these decisions. The government responded by confiscating copies of newspaper.
But I believe the deeply rooted difference between the party and the government over the issue of the relationship with Zionism, and surrender to the Americans, was behind the banning of the party.
Q. What actions are you going to take to confront this ban?
A. The [Egyptian authorities] said that the [internal leadership] dispute should be resolved either by mutual consent or by the courts. We are studying the court files and we have a team of reliable lawyers.
Q. In view of what happened to the party, how do you see the future of parties in Egypt?
A. The easiest policy would be to distribute roles. The Egyptian regime does not accept this with the opposition parties. It considers itself the only entity, which cannot tolerate any opposition. Therefore, Egypt is under martial law, which has been in place for 20 years. Seven out of 16 licensed parties have been banned. In that case, what can we say about the future?
