Prominent leftist and iconic defender of the rights of workers and pensioners Al-Badri Farghali died on Monday at the age of 74 following a sudden illness. The funeral was held following Monday's afternoon prayers at Al-Abbas Mosque in Port Said governorate where thousands gathered to bid him farewell. Port Said Governor Adel Al-Ghadban who attended the funeral said that “history will always remember Farghali as an honourable figure who struggled for the welfare of his country.” Leaving a long political legacy, Farghali's death was a shock to Egyptians and for Port Said residents in particular. For more than 50 years, Farghali remained a supporter of workers and a genuine voice of their sufferings. A former parliamentary member, Farghali struggled for the rights of the marginalised. While in parliament, Port Said was at the core of his attention as he was deeply concerned with solving its problems and defending its rights. The leftist Tagammu Party — Farghali was one of its founders in 1978 and a leading member — issued a statement expressing condolences for the loss of the renowned labour rights defender. Many public figures rushed to mourn Farghali on social media. Former parliamentarian and member of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party Haitham Al-Hariri described him as the workers' supporter and national fighter. “May your words for the right be put in the balance of your good deeds,” Al-Hariri said on Twitter. The Free Egyptians Party offered its condolences to Farghali's family members and supporters. Party chairman Essam Khalil expressed the party's shock by the departure of “such national value that strongly adopted workers' issues and kept defending them until the last minute of his life”. Political analyst Ammar Ali Hassan said that Farghali lost his sight “but never lost his insight” as he defended workers, pensioners and all people in their longing for justice and freedom. Legal activist Khaled Ali said: “Farewell the worker, the parliamentarian and the courageous socialist fighter who did not stop defending Egypt's people and the rights of the poor and who presented a unique example for parliamentary performance.” Farghali's childhood was not a happy one. In 1947, he was born to a poor family. In Farghali's words, his family was living below the poverty line. He did not complete his education and was satisfied with an elementary certificate. At an early age, Farghali had to help his father in raising his six younger brothers. He joined work in the stevedoring department in Port Said port, where his father was a worker. Farghali remained a worker at the port for nearly a quarter of a century and did not leave until he joined parliament for the first time in 1990. “Throughout my childhood and youth I never felt the meaning of luxury,” Farghali said in a TV interview. He noted that the cruel childhood he lived created in him the spirit of rebellion and struggle. “I hated poverty, and I felt that we can kill poverty through achieving justice,” he told his interviewer. Still a child, Farghali felt the sufferings of Port Said at the time of the Tripartite Aggression in 1956. At the age of 18, Farghali, a member of the Nasser-era Youth Organisation, joined the ranks of the popular resistance against Israel and led one of its brigades. During his teens, Farghali became interested in reading. He would borrow books since he was not able to buy them. The French Revolution was his favourite topic. As he said, the time when he was a member of the Youth Organisation helped him crystalise most of his political thoughts. In the 1980s and 1990s, Farghali played a major role in Egypt's political life. Supported by his fellow citizens in Port Said's coastal city, Farghali won in the 1990 parliamentary polls. Nearly 10 years prior to joining parliament, Farghali was a member of the Port Said local council. In parliament, Farghali managed to keep the seat for four successive terms and many described him as the leader of popular opposition. During the 30-year rule of former president Hosni Mubarak, Farghali was an outspoken critic of the economic policies at the time. The then finance minister Youssef Boutros-Ghali came under fire from Farghali for his management of the pension funds and for what was deemed the faulty pension law Ghali had proposed. Farghali was also elected in the first post-Mubarak parliament which was dissolved a year later by a Constitutional Court ruling. Following his long parliamentary career, Farghali founded the Pensioners' Union to support those in their struggle for better living conditions. He led a legal battle against the Ministry of Social Solidarity to win the rights of pensioners. Two years ago, Farghali won a court ruling in favour of pensioners. By means of the ruling, pensioners would be paid overdue bonuses at a rate of 80 per cent of their basic salary. He hailed the ruling as a historic step and pressed for its implementation.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 18 February, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
