By Tamim Elyan
CAIRO: More than 27 representatives of professional groups and university professors announced Tuesday the formation of a coalition to represent them in the current phase of democratic transition.
The professional coalition’s founding statement supported the “revolution’s demands” and requested that the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces ensures the quick transition to civil state by appointing a presidential council, appointing an interim government that does not include any of the past regime’s figures, and ending emergency law.
“We want to form a force that would balance political relationships in society to prevent the monopolization of authority and to make sure that the current societal dialogue is built on the right foundations,” said Hany Al-Hosseiny, member of the March 9 Movement, a group of university professors advocating university independence.
The statement included short term demands such as freedom of the media; restructuring the police forces which are to come under civil surveillance; electing a council to present a new constitution; amending the electoral system; and the laws governing it.
“We believe that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is legally capable of issuing decrees annulling the emergency law and dissolving the political parties committee,” Al-Hosseiny said.
The coalition comprises representatives from the lawyers, pharmacists, trade and sports professional syndicates, as well as a number of independent syndicates, professional movements and law centers including Doctors without Rights, March 9 Movement, the independent teachers’ syndicate, health technicians’ independent syndicate and the Hisham Mubarak Law Center.
According to Al-Hosseiny, more professional groups are expected to join the coalition which will merge with the coalition of human rights organizations.
Members of the coalition said that the ongoing sector protests reflect peoples’ aspirations, though they may not be taking place in the appropriate time.
“There are demands that can be responded to immediately like getting rid of corrupt officials and others that need time and can be postponed until an elected government is formed,” said Ahmed Seif Al-Islam, head of the Hisham Mubarak Law Center.
“The current government’s authority is limited since it is an interim government; however, they should listen to those protesters and agree on what can be done now and what should be postponed,” he added.
Sector protests swept across Egypt as workers and employees demanded better wages, the appointment of staff on temporary contracts and ending corruption in their organizations.
The post authority, Telecom Egypt and railway authority responded to the demands made by the workers who organized mass protests. They said that a new incentive system would be implemented and employees on temporary contracts would be appointed.
Mona Mina, spokesperson of Doctors Without Rights, said that they will postpone their demands regarding wages and working conditions until a new government is formed.
“Some demands regarding doctors in hospital or health administrations were responded to rapidly, but our collective demands as professionals will be postponed until a new government is formed,” she said.
“We want to eliminate the current doctors syndicate board but we will wait for the upcoming elections and won’t request withdrawal of confidence from the current board now,” Mina added.
The fifth communiqué issued by the Supreme Military Council asked for sector protests to stop, citing damage to national economy. It asked workers to help create appropriate conditions that allow the transition of power to a civilian state elected by the people.
“We need to spread the culture of voicing demands to prevent sector protests from turning into chaos and opt for dialogue to convey our demands,” said Hossam Abdallah, board member of health technicians’ independent syndicate.
Both Abdallah and Seif Al-Islam said that there are indications of the existence of adequate resources to meet protestors’ demands.
“What we see in the media of corruption cases means that there are enough resources to meet our demands. We can at least diminish the gap in wages between workers and managers,” Abdallah said.
They said that workers need to organize themselves in order to be capable of negotiating their demands.
