CAIRO: Three political analysts debated the importance of powerful political parties and the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt during a panel discussion on Thursday at the American University in Cairo (AUC). AUC professor and former parliamentarian Mona Makram-Ebeid, Osama El Ghazaly Harb, Shura Council member and one of the founders of the Democratic Front Party and Moustapha El Sayed, a political science professor at Cairo University also discussed the impact of the constitutional amendments on the future of local politics and the possibility of democracy in Egypt. The event comes at a time when debate and protests are sweeping Egypt in anticipation of today's referendum on 34 constitutional amendments proposed by President Mubarak and approved by the People's Assembly last week. Pundits say the amendments will be a blow to democracy. Amnesty International called them the "greatest erosion of rights in 26 years. Makram-Ebeid said the amendments were "pushed through parliament despite opposition erasing progress made towards democracy. Makram-Ebeid, who organized and chaired the event, cited specific the amendment to Article 179, which allows the police to arrest suspects, search homes and tap phones without warrants. El Sayed said that one of the goals of the amendments was to "pre-empt the possibility of free elections and that he wasn't concerned about the changes to the constitution. "I am not scared about what will happen after the referendum, he said. "It is silly. Because it is silly it is not going last. Harb said Egypt is deteriorating now more than ever, citing unemployment and lack of freedom. He blamed the regime and called for democracy. "I think this undemocratic regime has reached its end, he said. "It is unable to act and govern in the same way it used to. Makram-Ebeid attributes the deterioration of the current political atmosphere to four factors: the resilience of authoritarianism; the weakness of political parties; contradictory US policies that have stopped pressing the government for democratic reform; and the growing popularity of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) which she referred to as a necessary evil. "The Brotherhood is resilient and powerful, but there are legitimate concerns about its attitudes towards religious minorities and women, she said. She added: "Opening the doors to the Brotherhood is not without risk. Would they replace the rule of law with the rule of fatwas? However, Harb said that the fear of the Brotherhood was "catastrophic, as it can propel people, Copts for example, to vote for the National Democratic Party only because they don't want Islamists in charge. This is exactly what the government wants, he said. "The problem in Egypt is not the Islamists. The problem in Egypt is not the Brotherhood, he said. "The problem in Egypt is corruption, despotism and dictatorship. This effect of that can also be seen on the international scale, El Sayed said. Because the US and the West prefer Mubarak to a Brotherhood-led government, they support the government. All three panelists agreed that the absence of effective political parties was a major concern. While the debate was titled "Is There a Need for New Parties? El Sayed argued that the issue is not the number of parties, but the strength of these parties. The Muslim Brotherhood, the only powerful political group, is not recognized officially, he said. He also questioned the validity of the NDP and said the only change they made to the amendments proposed by President Mubarak was changing "a comma to a full stop. "The National Democratic Party doesn't exist, El Sayed said. "Hosni Mubarak is the government. Panelists said that with the Brotherhood on one extreme and the NDP on the other, there is a void in Egyptian politics. "There is a vacuum in Egyptian political life, Harb said. "We need genuine and strong political parties. The panelists also debated what role the Brotherhood would play if Egypt became democratic. Harb said the organization would become "one power among others since it is supported by 20 to 25 percent of the population. He also said governments never destroy Islamic opposition, even if they suppress all other forms of resistance. "The only result of undemocratic rule in any Islamic country is the strengthening of the Islamic opposition, Harb said. Meanwhile El Sayed said religion is a very important part of Egyptian culture and that any powerful party would have to "make its peace with Islam and develop its own interpretation of the faith. He agreed that Mubarak will not destroy the Brotherhood. "They know how to whether the storm, El Sayed said. "This is not the first time they have suffered government oppression. AUC graduate Samia Farid Shihata who attended the discussion said she had been expecting more from Harb, as a representative of the new Democratic Front Party. She said it would have been a good opportunity to present the party's platform. "I was expecting a call to action, she said. "We still suffer this feeling of hopelessness. I was hoping Dr Harb would provide leadership and tell us more about what they will do.
