Kifaya is embarking on its own institutional reforms in an attempt to achieve its goals, reports Mohamed El-Sayed The second annual conference of the Egyptian Movement for Change (Kifaya), held at the Bar Association, provided many opportunities for soul searching. After one and a half years of street activism the group has, after all, achieved only one tangible goal -- breaking the taboo on criticising the president. Under the slogan "From a movement of conscience to a movement of change" the conference brought together intellectuals, political activists and journalists to ponder Kifaya's future. And topping their agenda were discussions of the most effective ways to institutionalise the activities of the movement, though in a manner that ensures decentralisation. The conference resolved to form affiliate committees in all governorates that will organise their own activities and seek to attract new members without the need to refer to the leaders of the movement. "As the political scene in Egypt has changed so have the rules of the political game," Kifaya spokesperson Abdel-Halim Qandil told the Weekly. "Some of the means we used to employ, the protests, hunger strikes and sit-ins, have proved less effective than we hoped so we have had to institutionalise our organisation. We want to introduce novel ideas to promote long-awaited political change." Kifaya's activities acted as midwife for many groups, including Youth for Change, Writers for Change, Journalists for Change, Workers for Change and Doctors for Change, all of which demand reform in their respective fields. "Now there has to be an organisation, a foundation, that brings together all these movements under one umbrella. The foundation, hopefully, will turn the movement -- whose members now number 20,000 -- into an influential political player," stressed Qandil. "We have already formulated a programme, 'The Egypt we wish to see' that outlines the steps and initiatives needed to achieve reform on all levels," Qandil continued. "These initiatives call for political parties to be formed without first requiring government consent. We are also promoting an initiative that brings together opposition political forces, spearheaded by the Judges Club, to force the political reform." According to Qandil, Kifaya's ambitious plans include the setting up of a presidential council, comprising judges, which, over a two-year transition period will preside over the writing of a new constitution, the setting up of political parties representing all strands of opinion, and the election of a new parliament. "We have a clear-cut vision and programme for the future," adds Qandil. "I doubt any political party or force has a programme clearer than ours." During the conference members raised many criticisms of the movement's recent performance. One problem, believes Qandil, is that many Kifaya members remain unable to distinguish between working within the framework of a political party and working as part of a broad social movement promoting change. "Too many people are used to the closed, barren pyramid system adopted by political parties. But we realise this and have started the necessary correction." In fringe meetings one of the most frequently voiced complaints was the way in which the movement is represented in the media by just a handful of spokesmen. "But it is only to be expected," insists Qandil, "that prominent figures who have joined the movement receive priority in representing Kifaya in the media since they have the ability and skills necessary to impress the audience." But has the movement achieved any of the goals it set for itself when it was founded in September 2004? "It took the Muslim Brotherhood 75 years to make any tangible achievements while existing political parties have yet to achieve anything despite being around for 30 years. Kifaya is in its infancy and still has a long way to go before we achieve our goals," says Qandil. "Even a quick glance at the political scene reveals that Kifaya has inspired many sectors of society to demand their rights more vigorously. Just look at the Judges Club, which has begun asking for the enactment of a Judiciary Law that guarantees judicial independence from state control. Kifaya has encouraged all political forces to take to the streets and break the taboos. And this momentum will eventually force the regime to change its mentality, which will eventually lead to the reform we all seek. The regime will not be able to withstand the mounting pressures exercised by these ever-growing opposition forces for ever," believes Qandil. Abdel-Wahab El-Messiri, a senior member of the movement, thinks "the people and the government are well aware of the inevitability of change. Even the government has begun to adopt slogans calling for reform... though unfortunately they lack the will to see it through." "It is the totalitarian regime in Egypt," says El-Messiri, "that endangers national security, since the regime cannot defend the country without the people's support. [Without reform] the regime will remain weak in confronting US and Israeli hegemony over the region." And what is the reaction of the group to President Mubarak's -- and his son Gamal's -- recent denials of any plans that the office of president could be inherited, one reason the movement was formed in the first place? "Every time we hear this we smile inwardly," says Qandil. "But the fact is that the president spoke the truth. No, he will not issue a decree passing the presidency to his son. Instead the transfer will be attempted through the amended Article 76 of the Constitution which effectively limits presidential candidates to National Democratic Party nominees. And when you look at the way Gamal Mubarak has been promoted to the upper echelons of the party, becoming assistant secretary- general of the NDP, and when you see how Mubarak postponed the municipal elections for two years, there can be little doubt that Gamal is being groomed to succeed his father. "If this does come to pass we will face 30 more years of a political wilderness. Gamal Mubarak will never introduce the much-needed political reforms simply because he has no solid social or political base. Our goal remains ending the Mubarak family rule. Yes, we failed to prevent Mubarak from remaining in office for a fifth term but we are still fighting against power passing to his son."
