Why I’m running for parliament

Kamal Khalil, Director of the Center for Socialist Studies

A message to all those who are fighting for change, dream of a free democratic Egypt, and those who are in search of justice and social equality

I am a socialist, whose loyalty goes for our country’s oppressed and poor. I relate to the dwellers of the slums, huts, and shaabi areas. I belong to the workers, poor peasants, and the deprived. My loyalty is for the suppressed, from women, Copts, the handicapped, to the residents of Upper Egypt and Nubia.

As a socialist, as someone who has fought for change over the past 35 years, during which I engaged in numerous political battles and entered Mubarak’s prisons’ maze more than 15 times—I understand fully the nature of the current phase Egypt is going through.

We are living in the age of capitalist thuggery. Never did the political hegemony of businessmen reach that level at any point over the past 50 years. This country has become the target for the biggest organized looting operation, carried out by a handful of monopolists allied with the ruling gang, who is headed by Mubarak and his family.

The wealth of this country, its economic resources, and productive capacities are today squandered among those ruling gangsters in their fun parties, in negotiations kept away from the public. The Mubaraks, the ruling gang, and the business dinosaurs are dividing a cake—our country—among themselves as if it was some farm they inherited from their fathers.

Corruption has spread to all ranks of the state as a result of such unholy alliance between political power and wealth. Our minister of culture, the killer of intellectuals, does not find time for culture, because he is busy with stolen antiquities deals and transforming Egypt’s great heritage to a commodity in the Egyptian capitalist market. Another minister sold the people carcinogenic pesticides, plaguing our sons and daughters with diseases. That minister was protected by his legal immunity, and his position as the vice president of the ruling party. A third minister, the infamous Shazli, charges a well-known commission for every favor and service.

Who rules Egypt then? Who owns it? Egypt is not ruled by its poor working people. Egypt is not owned by those who sweat for more than ten hours a day to barely make a living.

Egypt is ruled by a bunch of murderers and torturers, who are enriching themselves on the expense of the people. They use iron and fire to practice the organized looting. Egypt is owned by a bunch of business monopolists, who accumulated millions in the last ten years.

Such alliance between the murderers and the monopolists has resulted in the quadrupling of the wealth of the murders, and the rise of political authority of the monopolists. Gamal Mubarak becomes a millionaire, while Ahmad Ezz governs.

That’s how the so-called NDP Policies Committee was born, the committee that rules Egypt now. Such clique of politicians and right wing thinkers are now deciding the fate of the 70 million Egyptians.

This bunch devalued the Egyptian pound in 2003, which led to a massive inflation, impoverishing the already disenfranchised. They are deciding to sell banks, insurance and complete to sell out of the public sector factories. They plan the future of Egypt in single congregation and destroy the dreams of millions of Egyptians with a decree.

If these are the group that reigns over Egypt and owns it practically, how can we face them? How can we struggle against them and win? How can we free Egypt and redeem it? How can Egypt become a home for its hardworking yet impoverished citizens not for the murderers and thieves.

It is a simple answer: I am running for a seat in the Parliamentary elections of 2005 because I see it as chance to continue our struggle for total and real change. In the name of this principal, I am running for seat and it shall determine my actions should I win the elections.

I believe in grassroots’ driven change which comes from independent public struggle. By change I mean real shifts of policy to represent the interests of hardworking people. Indeed real change is not going to be handed over by the parliament to the workers, especially a parliament controlled by the wealthy and powerful who tell it what to say and what not to say.

It is, however, the duty of militants to participate in the elections to use the people’s assembly’s seats to provoke public awareness and mobilize the people.

We should not abandon our effort for change which we carried out over the past year and leave the arena for a bunch of murderers and thieves. It is our duty to continue to make the voice of the impoverished heard in the parliament and prevent them from winning the seats. We have to carry out our election campaign and disclose what the current members are doing. We have to organize demonstrations saying NO to them and their policy. We have to make the voice of change heard.

Even though the assembly is controlled by a dictatorship, it will be beneficial to have the parliamentary seats taken by militants who are willing to fight for change. They might not be able to make the assembly make policy that represents the poor but will use it as a forum to disclose the corruption of the institution and every suspect law. The parliament a place to mobilize the people. Militants will declare that the road to change is through the struggle of in the streets for a better and brighter future for Egypt, when the disenfranchised rise against the tyrants.

Today we have a chance. We, the campaigners for radical change, have to raise our voices high. We have struggled courageously to topple the dictator and establish democracy. In order to transform our movement into a real popular movement, we have to include the economic and social demands to our political demands. The democracy we need cannot be brought about except by the struggle of the people. The people cannot fight for a democracy that brings the rotation of power but does not put bread on the poor’s tables. No freedom without bread. No bread without a real people’s power.

The coming elections will provide and opportunity to engage in policy making and bring the voice of public to parliament and get the public interested in our movement and see it represents them. The voice of those who want real change should get louder . Our movement’s future depends on expanding its circles and connecting it with the people.

In this decisive historical moment with the hope for real change high, the duty of all socialists and militants is to bridge the gap between the public and themselves. Let’s run for elections and call for comprehensive change. The parliament is a tool. The way, however, is clear: the struggle of the people. The goal is also clear: Egypt for its people, free and opposing all forms of tyranny, exploitation, and oppression.

Together for

• Total political freedom
• Equality and no discrimination on basis of gender, colour or religion.
• National independence, animosity towards imperialism, and unconditional support for resistance.
• Social justice and opposing policies of privatization and impoverishment.