Where is Egypt heading to politically? Gamal Nkrumah and Mohamed El-Sayed search for clues Egypt was an early starter in the democratisation process. It was the first country in the region to have a vibrant multi-party democracy. A constitution, at first modelled after the French tradition, was promulgated in 1923. That, of course, was during the monarchy in the pre-1952 Revolution days. A sea-change has taken place ever since, and the country today stands poised for radical political and constitutional reform. There was a ray of light on the horizon for Egypt, or so the pundits predicted. The constitution is about to be changed, ostensibly in order to accelerate the democratisation process and take account of the political and economic realities of contemporary Egypt. The country now pins its hopes on constitutional reform, even though many political commentators remain skeptical. A more in-depth plan is now being touted by President Hosni Mubarak. Egypt, always a trendsetter in the Arab world, is hopefully catching up fast with its glorious past. Curiously, the French model is still being held up as the ideal by many distinguished columnists. "If [the state] guarantees a political atmosphere like that in France, I will wholeheartedly support the re- election of the president for unlimited terms. But [without this guarantee] it will be an adventure not calculated and which would, most likely, end with deep regrets," wrote Fahmi Howeidi in Al-Ahram. This was in reference to the constitutional changes which suggest that the president may be re-elected for an unlimited number of terms. That, as a matter of fact, clearly resembles the French system. However, many pundits disapprove. Nobody, the government not excluded, wants the constitutional reform to be wrong, hurried or botched. The president is not the only one who has come under fire from the pundits. The Muslim Brotherhood, too, was severely criticised for playing dirty political games. "We should hold up the slogan 'Religion is for God, and the nation is for all' in the face of the Muslim Brotherhood. A religious Egypt is not in need of a party or a group that wants to teach it the rules of Islam, since citizenship, not Islam, is the solution," wrote Ahmed Hassan, in the independent daily Nahdet Masr, which has launched a fierce campaign against the Brotherhood after they declared their intention to launch a political party. Others, however, see the Brotherhood as being victimised in the quest for political and constitutional reform. "It is indeed crystal clear that there are some [political] deals that have been concluded between the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and its government on one side and the [opposition] political parties on the other. These deals stand behind the melodramatic change in these parties' stand on constitutional changes," wrote Diaa Rashwan in the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm about the constitutional changes. "First, the NDP seeks licensed political parties and the approval of figures [of constitutional amendments] to make the Egyptian people and the international community believe that there is a real [national] consensus on change. Second, the deal is aimed at ruling out the Muslim Brotherhood and other political forces and figures that reject the changes". The stated aim of these critiques is to boost the democratisation process. "Political experts and intellectuals discuss the ramifications and goals of constitutional reform" ran the headline of an analytical features piece in the national daily Al-Akhbar. The article reviewed the agenda of a seminar on the subject. The latter reviewed the opinions of such luminaries as the distinguished lawyer and a former Minister of Information Ahmed Kamal Abul-Magd, senior member of the National Council of Human Rights, and Alieddin Hilal, member of the policies secretariat and media secretary of the ruling NDP, as well as Sameh Ashour, chairman of the Bar Association. Among the distinguished journalists who participated were Galal El-Sayed, Sherif Riad, El-Sayed El-Naggar, and Khaled Gabr of Al-Akhbar. "The [constitutional] changes open up new horizons for a better future. And, the key is a serious exchange of views by the different political strands [in the country]," explained Hilal. Abul-Magd was more apologetic regarding the government's perspectives. The president's demand that constitutional changes take place was concurrent with the political and cultural environment [of the country]," he insisted. This was a week which saw a government clampdown on the Muslim Brotherhood. Many of the pundits in the pro-government papers were quite forthright in their criticism of the group. But not all political commentators were anti-Brothers; a few political analysts were far more sympathetic to their cause. "America, tyranny, staying in power for ever, bequeathing presidency [to Gamal Mubarak], corruption... are the major threats that endanger the security of Egypt. And I reject the announcement by President Mubarak about the Muslim Brotherhood, for they are not extremists," Mahmoud El-Khodeiri, deputy head of the Court of Cassation, wrote in the independent weekly Al-Dustour .
