After two years of street activism, Kifaya celebrated its efforts for political change. Mohamed El-Sayed ponders its success Many observers believe that the Egyptian Movement for Change, Kifaya, has only managed one achievement since its inception in September, 2004: staging the first anti-Mubarak demonstration. This groundbreaking protest paved the way for other demonstrations and events by political forces seeking political reform. Before then, public opposition to President Hosni Mubarak's 25-year rule under emergency law had shown little, if any, inclination to tolerate any form of dissent. Other than this momentous achievement, Kifaya's detractors argue that it has done little more than what other opposition forces have attempted for years. But at a conference held at the Bar Association commemorating the second anniversary of Kifaya, the movement's leaders tallied their achievements so far. Timed to coincide with the fourth annual conference of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) conference, the gathering at the Bar Association last Thursday was an opportunity for Kifaya members to reiterate their refusal of any constitutional amendments proposed by the NDP. The proposed amendments, the members of the movement agreed, "are not in favour of the people, and are aimed at regulating succession to power." Responding to criticism that Kifaya has not offered anything new on its second anniversary, Abdel-Haleem Qandil, Kifaya spokesman and editor-in-chief of the opposition newspaper Al-Karama retorted: "We are not supposed to produce something new every morning. Our goals never changed: preventing the inheritance of the presidency; establishing public freedoms; and drafting a new constitution." Qandil told Al-Ahram Weekly that while there is "a wide gap between our vision and our ability to achieve it, the threat of bequeathing power is growing day by day. And as long as it exists, we will continue to resist vehemently." As in past conferences, Kifaya members called for the unification of all political forces in order to pressure the regime to draft a new constitution. "With regards the constitution, the movement refuses any bequeathing of power," declared George Ishaq, the coordinator of the movement. "This is a vision shared by a great deal of intellectuals and politicians, as well as the majority of citizens seeking real reform." Ishaq listed the achievements of the movement since its inception. "The movement managed to gain the right of organising street protests [without permission from the Ministry of Interior], raised the ceiling of criticism, and caused the birth of other opposition groups like Journalists for Change, Professors for Change, Artists for Change, etc," he noted. Qandil also enumerated the movement's achievements to the Weekly. "The movement managed to raise the ceiling of criticism until it reached the president of the republic," the outspoken journalist said. "We managed to spread the culture of speaking out loud against the president among the intelligentsia. We also managed to clench the right of organising peaceful demonstrations despite harassment by the Interior Ministry." Despite criticism from some corners, some political analysts described Kifaya's accomplishments in Egyptian political discourse as historic. "Kifaya is a landmark transition in contemporary Egyptian political history," according to Osama El-Ghazali Harb, editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine Al-Siyasa Al-Dawliya and founder of the Democratic Front Party which is yet to be licensed. "The movement managed to establish the concept of organised, peaceful protest. In addition, it succeeded in bringing all political forces under one umbrella, calling for real political reform." Qandil explained that the movement would adopt new tactics in the coming period to achieve its goals. "We aim at forming a national democratic coalition with a judicial figure at its helm, which would rule the country during a transitional period until general elections are held," he announced. "Unless the Muslim Brotherhood -- the biggest political force in the country -- joins this national coalition, peaceful change will not be possible and the situation will further deteriorate," continued Qandil. "But I think that having a judge at the helm of the proposed coalition will encourage the Muslim Brotherhood to participate." At the anniversary conference, members also agreed on launching an initiative to rally 100,000 demonstrators to enter a three-day strike in downtown Tahrir Square.
