CAIRO: In a highly charged debate discussing the reasons behind increasing political apathy, the participants of a symposium exchanged more than just accusations. Held at the Prince Taaz Cultural Center on July 7, the symposium didn't come up with a concrete solution to the lack of political participation. The panelists, each with a different affiliation, blamed each other for creating the problem The symposium discussed the absence of political participation in Egypt and why the majority of citizens eschew any political activity. The discussion was managed by veteran journalist Sawsan Duweik who at times struggled to control the wrangling of panelists, which included National Democratic Party (NDP) Policies Committee member Gihad Ouda, El Ahram Center for Strategic and Political Studies researcher Amr Hashim and El Wafd political party Higher Committee member, El Sayid El Badawi. El Badawi attributes this phenomenon of political apathy partly to an ingrained cultural belief that getting involved in politics is dangerous and highly precarious. "Even before the 1952 revolution there was a connotation that when you are in politics, you are automatically opposed to the system. This became more deeply rooted when the president of the nation, also became the head of the ruling party, El Badawi explained. Another reason Badawi cites, is that Egyptian citizens do not feel that their votes will make a difference. This is why a meager 6 percent of all Egyptians are politically active, he added. Ouda was unimpressed when Badawi used Mauritius, which witnessed an estimated 70 percent voter participation in its primaries, as an example of democratic change. "Mauritius is a country where slavery is officially present and where a military coup just took place with the blessing of France, Ouda said, rejecting the Mauritian example in its entirety. On his part, Amr Hashim ascribed this perennial political apathy to economic and social elements, in addition to contradictions within the regime's policies. "I see the government spending millions of pounds in order to encourage people to vote, and then I see them spending millions of pounds again to manipulate the voting process through the security apparatus. It would help if they knew which side they were on, Hashim said. The prohibition of legitimate political activities in Egyptian universities, through the charter of 1979, was viewed by El Badawi as fundamental in drying up the "source of the Egyptian political scene's vitality. "Because the civil minded parties were prevented from working in universities, the religious political streams filled in that void, therefore dominating the political arena to the point where they have gained control of the occupational syndicates, El Badawi lamented. Ouda retorted with a statement that the percentage of Egypt's youth in higher education is relatively small compared to Egypt's youth as a whole, and that with the term based educational system in place, "students don't have the time to take part in any political activity. Ouda went on to blame human rights violations on the "hegemony of Salafi religious thought, which he believes has dominated the Egyptian cultural mainstream. "Get rid of this Salafi cultural dominance and you can implement human rights, because that requires viewing people as individuals, something our society does not believe in, Ouda said, to the chagrin of fellow panelists. After accusing fellow panelist Hashim with having a past that is linked with this "religious stream, mainly the Muslim Brotherhood, Hashim responded by saying that his accusations were banal and overly trite. "It is you who allowed these religious based movements to gain popularity, due to your practices, Hashim ranted, "Europe is filled with religious based organizations, as long as they do not advocate sectarianism and militarism I welcome them, he said.
