What are the chances of a Coptic woman winning against the ruling party and 10 men in the working class district of Shubra? Mona Makram Ebeid tells Fatemah Farag that whatever the odds, it is worth the try Mona Makram Ebeid is the first Coptic woman in the history of Egypt to run for parliamentary elections. If you want to meet her these days your best bet is to hang around the coffee shops in her constituency Shubra, where she can be found making house calls, or visit her home office, where she might be found drowning beneath a mass of campaign leaflets. She will be in either of these places, or somewhere in between. "This is the most challenging experience of my life," she says as the phone rings. "It is also the most frustrating," she adds, throwing her hands up in the air before lighting another cigarette. "I never drank coffee and now I must. I never smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day and now I am up to 20." This is from the veteran activist who until recently held the position of first woman secretary-general of a political party -- Al-Ghad -- in Egypt. She is also a former parliamentarian (by appointment), professor of political science at the American University in Cairo and head of the Association for the Advancement of Education (AAE). As an independent, Ebeid is running against the ruling party, men, money and in a political environment rife with sectarian tension. "I think the people of Shubra understand that money is a fleeting thing. They are more interested in choosing who will serve. I am a new face, one known not to be corrupt, that will be attractive [to voters]. The challenge, though, is to get the people who understand these things to the polling stations." Her name may help. "A butcher told me 'we will not forget our history,'" a reference to her grandfather Makram Ebeid Pasha, the best-known Coptic politician in modern Egyptian history and Wafd Party secretary-general between 1936 and 1942. "Makram Pasha was MP for Shubra in the 1940s and my father was MP for the constituency of Qolaly. People understand that I have no personal interests in running. I do not need parliamentary immunity or fame or to make money out of my constituents." She is driven by the belief that "this year's parliamentary elections represent a turning point in the history of Egypt and at times like these it is important to be an active participant. Maybe change will go in the right direction; this is the challenge I face as a Copt, a woman and an intellectual." It is time to "break the taboo of Copts not participating in politics. We must try and show we are a part of this country and that we deserve to be elected. Why should we shy away from politics and then complain [that we are not represented]?" Shubra's parliamentary seat has been monopolised for 20 years by the NDP incumbent Mohamed Guweili, now 79 years old. "No one expected him to be re- nominated," she muses. She is also standing against a businessman who has run and lost twice but "is spending money like mad". "What is on my side," she chuckles, "is that I have put everyone on edge [by running]." Her constituency "is a fabulous microcosm of Egyptian society. It includes people from all walks of life including a high percentage of working women -- especially teachers -- as well as a relatively large Christian community, merchants and a lot of young people. It is a harmonious community where Christians and Muslims have inter-related interests and there is a nice feeling about the place." Only a few days before our interview she was visiting a school where a "chorus of veiled girls sang for me". "I find no problem visiting mosques or going to butchers [a profession dominated by Muslims]. I find that I am received like the queen of Sheeba." It is not the first time Ebeid has run in Shubra. "It was a wonderful experience, a part of my political maturing," she says of her previous experience in 1987. This time round Ebeid is making a point of "asking about the day to day problems that concern people. I was shocked to see that in the 21st century, and in the heart of Cairo, there are slum areas such as Al-Asal that have no light, no sanitation and no paved streets. I almost fell in the gutter three times when visiting the area. These people are living in misery and this situation is a clear violation of their humanity." These are the types of issues Ebeid is promising to fight on. "I told them to hold me accountable if in five years they are still living in slums." She is adamant that win or not the people of Shubra will continue to be at the centre of her concerns. She has already approached the Cairo Governorate requesting immediate action to upgrade the slum areas of Shubra. "There are also a few businessmen I know who would be willing to support this effort. Development of the area must be linked to solving the problem of unemployment. Talking to people I realised that they still want to rely on government employment. But given the right incentive and training they will produce. Can you believe the bitterness they must feel when they can't even have a family? I mean, there are women over 30 who are not yet married!" Another plank of her campaign is to provide the services from which the government has withdrawn. "From education to health to social security there are gaps that need to be filled," she explains. The campaign trail, however, is difficult and costly. "I have been duped by campaign agents and the experience cost me financially, physically and psychologically. Now I am developing my own team from scratch." She is not, however, the kind of person to turn her back on a challenge. "It is not in my character to back down," she explains. She is aware that if the state puts its weight behind the NDP candidate her chances of winning are slim. "Winning is ultimately not about principles, vision or programme but who can pay the most and whether or not you are backed by the NDP. Some people say to me 'it is a shame you are not in the NDP'. It will take time, which is in short supply, to get the majority of people to think differently." She hopes the elections will result in a parliament in which independents hold a good 40 per cent of seats, a figure she does not consider over-ambitious. "The presidential elections opened people's eyes to something new. They are starting to speak their mind, from Kifaya to the taxi driver who talks openly about politics. There is a willingness to change." It is on the back of this willingness that Ebeid hopes to be elected. Her motto? "What Egypt needs is a voice and a job."
