Despite the presentation of a new blueprint for reform this week, the country's opposition parties may be incapable of bringing about real change, writes Mona El-Nahhas The chairmen of the country's liberal Wafd Party, Nasserist Party, Democratic Front Party and Tagammu Party presented what they called a "document for reform and change" at a press conference on Sunday at the downtown headquarters of the leftist Tagammu, following the announcement last October of the birth of a coalition that would push for greater political and economic reform. The document presented was the first fruit of this initiative, and besides promoting their joint programme for reform, the four party chairmen revealed their intention to draft a new constitution for the country that would, they said, lead to a parliamentary system, greater protections for freedoms and democracy, the achievement of social justice and a guarantee of the complete independence of the judiciary. However, despite the ambitious nature of their proposals, critics claimed that the members of the four-party coalition have been doing little for months apart from holding meetings and press conferences and propagandising about their "outstanding programme", which, critics claimed, had turned out to lack depth when presented last Sunday. Apart from addressing the political crisis afflicting Egypt, known to all already, the six- page document did little to provide solutions to the country's problems, and it contained no concrete plan of action. However, despite the programme's apparent hollowness, the four party leaders hailed the initiative as a "turning point" in Egypt's political life. "We are here today to say that it's time to put an end to the domination of the ruling National Democratic Party [NDP] and the 'outlawed group' over political life in Egypt," said Rifaat El-Said, chairman of the Tagammu, referring to the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Said has been widely criticised for his attacks on the Brotherhood, which are viewed even by Tagammu members as an attempt to flatter the regime. Sharing El-Said's enthusiasm for the initiative, Osama El-Ghazali Harb, deputy chairman of the Democratic Front Party, said that the document was "a good start that would help the country's political parties restore their lost vitality. " "However, we need wide participation of the different political powers in our calls for reform," Harb said. Asked if they intended to invite the Brotherhood, one of the country's influential "political powers", to take part in dialogue, El-Said said sarcastically that if the liberal views included in the document met with the approval of the Brotherhood then it was welcome to join them. However, praise for the document was cut short by sharp criticism from journalists present at the conference, forcing El-Said to admit that what the document contained was just general topics. "At this stage, we prefer not to go into details due to the ideological differences between the parties forming the coalition," he said, without mentioning at what stage details would be unveiled. The leader of the Wafd Party, Mahmoud Abaza, said that the coalition intended only to present the outlines of its thinking to the public, which would then be invited to play a key role in completing what was missing from the document. "It's an initiative for all Egyptians," Abaza said. "That's why they should take part in its drafting." Asked how the opposition parties forming the coalition intended to encourage the government to move ahead with reform, El-Said told Al-Ahram Weekly that they would appeal to the public through rallies and meetings to take part with them in pressing for change. However, according to political analyst Amr Elshobki, this is unlikely to be effective, not least because the opposition parties, the Tagammu among them, have lost public confidence. "The shrinking membership figures of the Tagammu, Nasserist and Democratic Front parties, which hardly exceed a few hundred, offer clear proof that such parties have no contact with the people," Elshobki told the Weekly. The public considers that the existing opposition parties add little to the country's political life, he said, being either infiltrated by the state or torn by endless internal disputes. According to Elshobki, it was the current state of weakness of all the parties that had pushed them into forming a coalition in the first place. "It's nothing but a media show that aims at distracting the public's attention from the deteriorating situation of these parties," Elshobki said, adding that he does not believe that such a move will succeed. This is not the first attempt at joint action by the country's opposition parties. Many similar initiatives have been previously launched, yet differences between the parties have caused such moves to halt without achieving real progress. Elshobki blames the Wafd, a party with a great history, for joining hands with the weaker parties. "It would be better for the Wafd to coordinate with reformist figures who have a real presence among the public," he said. "Finally, it does not matter if such figures are party members or not. What really matters is their seriousness in pushing for reform."
