Egypt: Articulation and Aggregation of Interest
Andrew Petajan
Professional Associations
Level of tight control: Nassar, Sadat, and Murbarak
Syndicate Law of 1993- allows government to appoint executive council of the
professional association is less than 50 percent of the registered members participate in
the election of officers.
Teacher unions’ relationship with the government
Lawyers and Journalists
Pharmacist syndicate: negotiation on prices and safety
Don’t want to confront with the government because of risk of being dissolved.
Student unions
Central Security Forces: prevent the protest of student unions.
Promoting values of religious and academic objectives on campus
Private Voluntary Organization (PVO)
Family planning, charities, child care, etc
Law 32
The Ministry: regulates the fundraising, approve programs
The consequence of violation: the Arab Women’s Solidarity Association
PVO organizations: community services
Limitation of articulation constituency interest and policymaking
Business’s Associations
The General Federations of Chambers of Commerce
The first federation: ex-public companies, small companies, and businessmen
The second federation: private and public sector companies
More specialized organizations under Mubarak
Seek to protect industry and agriculture from foreign competition
Have business and international contract
Consulting business leaders for advice for the government
Controlling importer, export, black marketers, set price for goods.
4. Trade Unions
Corporatist system
- 23 unions under the Egyptian Trade Union Federation
- Co-opting policy adapted by Sadat
- Union leaders complained that they were offered low ranking positions in NDP
- Three reasons for protesting:
- Management’s bonus, denial of bonus for success of productivity, not meeting
promise for increasing cost of living
- Conflict between reward of bonus in various factories; White-collar vs. blue collar
- Not meeting promise of equalizing protection and benefits of the private and public
sectors Delaying the law to restrict on the hours of working in the private sector
- Labor protests
- Protest against the Egyptian Trade Union of Federation
- A case of a textile factory in 1975
- Increase the rate of production
- The government arrested 50 people killed and approximately 2000 people
- Social inequality
- Steelworkers ‘s protest in Helwan in 1989
- Response from the government: repression and concession
5. Islamic Groups
Wide diversity
Political influence in elections
Religious parties in parliament were banned
Muslim Brotherhood: the largest organization
Dominate in Labor and Liberal parties
Violence against the government
Social benefit and political actions are effective
B. Islamic liberation Army
- Tried to take control technical Military Academy in 1974
- Attempted to remove unholy government, but wanted to make peace with Israel
C. Al-Takfir wal-Hijra
- 5000 young people joined the organization
- Many unbelievers urged them to corrupt the society into sin
- Ex-Muslim Brother’s consequence of criticism against the compromise between the
brotherhood and the regime
D. Relationship between the two groups
- Different views of assassinating the ruler and the rights of judging unbelievers
- Should work to reform the society
E. Al Jihad organization
- Against government of unholy and help the poor.
- Believed in violence if they think it is necessary
- Muslim-Coptic corruption in Cairo
- Sadat arrested more than 700 Islamist politicians and militants
- Sadat was killed
- Shaikh Omar Ad al-Rahman: charged for his involvement in bombing the World Trade Center
- The organization begged the U.S. government not to harm him
- Responsibility for trying to kill The Prime Minster and Minister of Interior
F. Islam Group
- South vs. North for political and culture influence.
- Dominated by local landlord and tribal families
- Believed in fighting back against government officers, officers, Copts, the
elite’s, etc.
- Revenge for death of relatives of Islamic Group members done by the officers
- Many incident of violence: Stabbing of Naguib Mahfouz, Nobel Prize winner, bombings, and
criminally targeting toward people
- Public attitudes influenced the groups
- Restriction on interest groups that run by Islamists and arrests of Islamists
- Increase of supervising politicians associated with Muslim Brotherhood
- Law enforcement of arresting
6. Informal Network
- Lack of poor interest group
- Business cannot serve them nor political parties
- Achieve by contacting with politicians
- Can make social network, but lack spokespersons
- Ability of interest group to articulate interest is limited
- Co-opted is limited
- Voluntary organizations are completely controlled
- Problem of the poor: lack of similar concern