CAIRO: Despite some success stories, the 8th Conference for the National Council for Women (NCW) in Giza, held Sunday to celebrate National Women's Day, raises questions about whether the NCW is truly a neutral body representing all of Egypt's women. Entitled "Women in positions of leadership, the conference focused on the private, public and governmental sectors as well as civil society,Alia Ali Ahmad Al-Ansary, a graduate in business from Cairo University who became a successful businesswoman, spoke of her experiences in the private sector: "I stayed home when my only daughter got married, which I consider to be very important, but I wanted to do something for myself. I got involved in plastics production and, with the help of the National Council, was able to import foreign materials very cheaply, and obtained a factory line. Ansary's success in the business sector was reflected in the civil society sector by Gumhuria Abdel-Rahman, accountant and a member of the local council in Imbaba. "I come from a political family, she said. "My father was the local chief and named my brother Gamal Abd Al-Nasser. I was raised on politics, and was the first woman in my village to gain a seat on both the board union and in the local council. All women present were members of the National Democratic Party (NDP), although the National Council for Women claims to be a neutral body representing all Egyptian women. A group of female members of the Muslim Brotherhood demonstrated Sunday in front of the NCW headquarters to protest government restrictions on registration for the highly contested local council elections slated for April 8.The NDP has also come under criticism from within the party itself, taking into count the system which governs its politics. Ain Al-Hiya, a sprightly 76-year-old wearing thick round spectacles, took the stage to protest what she sees as the arbitrary removal of her name from the list of candidates. "I was illiterate, she shouted to a room full of jewelry-clad women. "My husband, who was an engineer, taught me how to read and write and then divorced me, taking my three children away with him. I wanted to get involved in the local community to forge a role for myself and for my children's sake. "I have been serving on the local council in Ousim for over 30 years, she told Daily News Egypt, "and have done a great deal for the local community, getting re-elected every time with a huge majority. This time they seem to have taken a dislike to me. Do you think it's because I'm old? Hiya's complaints to the NCW reflect deeper splits in the NDP over the elections. According to local press, over 600 party members have resigned from the party in Daqahleya, protesting against the selective registration of nominees which is allegedly based on a system of favoritism and nepotism.
