By Salama A Salama Political parties and groups, legal and otherwise, seem to be fighting a no-holds- barred battle in the current elections, as candidates appear determined to experiment with all the extra-legal means at their disposal. With the security services doing nothing to stop the irregularities freedom has turned into chaos. The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) is doing well -- it controls the state apparatus after all and can always lure the independents back into its ranks. And if push really does come to shove the NDP can always use force to keep the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) at bay. Candidates have already employed a wide variety of extra-legal ploys. They have invented ways to get ballot cards in and out of polling centres, hired thugs and bought votes. NDP dissidents, who ran as independents, were perhaps the worst abusers. The opposition performed badly while the NDP, its phoney dissidents and the MB all did well. The NDP used the state apparatus, cabinet backing and promises of reform to stay ahead while the MB relied on its long legacy of mobilisation and cohesion. Every one, though, played dirty. When the government took the decision to allow the MB to run it was perfectly aware that the group would emerge as the second largest parliamentary block. One wonders, however, if the government has any coherent policy when it comes to dealing with the religious current. Is the government willing to recognise the MB and force it to play by legal and constitutional rules? Or will it try to eliminate MB parliamentarians one by one in the underhanded way we have seen in the past? There are plenty of political and legal experts within the NDP's ranks. The party has no shortage of well- trained personnel or of new ideas, and yet it appears clueless. I recently read an article in which someone wondered what Washington's reaction to the MB becoming the official opposition in parliament would be. This is a question that needs be addressed not to Washington but to the NDP Policies Committee which orchestrated the election campaign and keeps telling us that it has all sorts of magic solutions. Some people have posed the same question to the US ambassador in Cairo, who answered by saying that the MB has become a strong force in Egypt's political life and the Egyptian government should have to find a legal and legitimate way of dealing with it. Democracy, the ambassador added, is the same everywhere -- it is about engaging people in constructive dialogue. The NDP is determined to win two-thirds of parliamentary seats and will do so by hook or by crook. This being the case, we can expect further violence and chaos in the next stage of the elections. At some point, however, the cat-and-mouse game in which the NDP and the MB are currently engaged will have to be addressed. Is the MB willing to transform itself into a civil political party? The answer to this question is not the sole responsibility of the NDP. The MB and the rest of the opposition have to state their position on the issue. There are many questions that need to be answered with regard to democracy, citizenry, freedom of belief and human rights in this country. The political success of the MB offers food for thought, as does the recent conference held by Coptic expatriates in Washington. So far the government has been reluctant to take a stand on any of the issues these events have thrown up and the coming parliament, as dysfunctional as it is likely to be, is unlikely to provide much help as we search for answers.
