I ask the permission of dear readers to write about what
may seem thoughts or issues bothering me in the 65 anniversary of the
revolution that deeply affected my conscience among millions others… I start by
saying that there is a difference between the July 23rd revolution and
Gamal Abdel-Nasser… and between them both and Nasserism… and between the three
of them and Nasserists.
In reading and understanding history, one should not
mix between phenomena since each one has its own exclusive features in origin
and course… however, that does not negate the interference and relations of
mutual effect between them one another, the thing that requires high accuracy
from the political analyzer or historian while he is using his scientific tools
to detangle this from that.
I say this because I think it is now time for
objective scientific analysis that puts the record straight and attributes
every action to its doer, every mistake to the one who made it, and every crime
to the one who committed it… and also accredits the one who made an achievement
based on a good idea, proper application, and unbiased follow-up… as the July
23rd revolution was not a package to be taken as a whole… and Nasser
the young man is different to Nasser the fresh graduate officer… to Nasser the lieutenant
colonel… to Nasser with the political ideology who worked in a secret
revolutionary group… to Nasser the president and leader who enjoyed undeniable popularity
that even his fiercest rivals and strongest enemies cannot argue about.
Moreover, the social theory – according to what Sa’ad
ed-Din Ibrahim said – whose ideological and systematic sides came to exist and held
the name Nasserism came after Nasser… and those who believed in it and played a
national role under its slogan became distributed – I will not say divided –
among parties, organized entities, and groups… and disagreement between some of
them reached to the extent that some of those some allowed themselves to
cooperate with muslim brotherhood, make alliances with them in the
parliamentary elections, and take photos together with their mouths wide with laughter
and faces brightening with satisfaction.
And so, a serious analyzer finds himself facing different
phenomena which confirm that generalization is not right and mixing between
things is unacceptable.
2
It happened that I was close to some of those who had
connections with the July revolution and were of the Free Officers Movement…
and others who worked as officials under the presidency of leader Gamal
Abdel-Nasser and not all of them were of the Free Officers… and to be one of
those who believed in and raised the slogan of Nasserism and worked to entrench
it in the political arena and establish it as a theoretical structure… I also
worked with many others of different generations, categories, and cultures to set
up a party adopting the Nasserism ideology.
The first public attempt was the Nasserist Socialist
Platform whose program I wrote and was submitted to the “Committee of the
Future of Political Work” formed by Sadat in 1976 and headed by Sayed Mari’e. I
was one of the three who went to the meeting headed by Mostafa Khalil on behalf
of Sayed Mari’e to discuss the program of the Nasserist Platform read before
the committee by the late genuine patriotic figure Mr. Kamal ed-Din Mahmoud
Refa’at known as Kamal Refa’at. My relation with him strengthened after he had left
his work as an ambassador for Egypt in London and disagreed to Sadat.
I was close to the Free Officers; Kamal Refa’at, Amin
Howeidi, Salah Sea’da, Helmi as-Saied, Ahmed Shoheib, Ahmed Hamroush, Khaled
Mohie ed-Din, Abdel-Mohsen Abo Elnour… and was close to those who worked with
president Nasser; gentlemen Ali Sabri, Sha’arawi Gomaa, Amin Howeidi, Mohammed
Fayek, Diaa’ Dawoud, Mohammed Fawzi, Sa’ad Zayed, Helmi as-Saied, Hamed
Mahmoud, Sami Sharaf…
I believe I have a lot to say as a personal opinion
that can be criticized and discussed just like any oral history and any
analysis of personality… as no one can confirm he is not inclined or unbiased… or
even claim his opinion is true just like sacred scripts.
Regarding the time span from 1971 until our present
time; meaning for 46 years, there were years when I missed no day without
meeting and having discussions with Nasserists, Marxists, members of Tagammo’a
party, Wafd party, al-‘Amal party, and others of Islamic orientations… meaning I
have more than a lot to say.
I also met president Sadat… he was one of the Free
Officers and worked with president Nasser… but because he made it to the
presidency, I could not list his name among the ones mentioned above… that
meeting with him was set by Mr. Heikal, may he rest in peace, in September
1973, and attended by Mr. Mamdouh Salem, Dr. Ahmed Kamal Abo el-Magd, and Dr.
Ismail Ghanem; then-Ain Shams University president and later minister of
education, may he rest in peace.
That meeting attended by a bunch of university student
union leaders lasted for five hours and a half… I was the second speaker who talked
long until president Sadat said: “enough so that your colleagues can have a
chance to talk…” when my colleagues answered… “let him continue”… I continued
until the president asked about my name then he looked to Mamdouh Salem and
said: “Mamdouh… my son X… if he asked to see me at midnight, you bring him to
me”… and it happened already that Mr. Mamdouh Salem brought me and put me in preventive
custody for almost a year in 1977.
All those details encouraged me to confirm the
necessity to distinguish between July 23rd revolution, Gamal
Abdel-Nasser, Nasserism, and also Nasserists… as honestly when I used to deal,
on the political or organizational levels, with some of those big names who
worked with the legendary leader Nasser, I wondered with myself first then
before others: how could the man accomplish what he accomplished and go through
all those fights while officials with such composition were working with him?!
3
I also was close to another category who worked with President
Nasser and who were not members of the Free Officers Movement or worked in the
armed forces… but they were civil efficient figures like Dr. Aziz Dedki, Dr.
Mostafa Khalil, Dr. Mohammed Helmi Mourad, Mr. Fathi Radwan, Mr. Mohammed
Hassanien Heikal, in addition to many others who were close to the president
and collaborated with him… most of them were prominent figures of Marxist Left
and each one of those has his own narration and vision regarding July 23rd
revolution, Nasser, Nasserism, and Nasserists.
Here, I can say that despite the different visions
starting from the Free Officers who contributed to building the group, conducting
the revolution, and working as officials in the regime of president Nasser… to
officials of academic civil backgrounds… they all agreed on one key thing;
belonging to the nation and believing in their message that asks for no reward
or thanking… also, clarity of social and political visions was the base and
foundation for what was achieved and which took a very long time to demolish by
those who wanted to demolish it… and even some of this legacy were unable to be
destroyed.
Now dear readers, you ask me… if the matter is that
clear and needs no mixing between phenomena… and analysis needs accuracy to put
each phenomenon in it proper course and discuss points of interference and
mutual effect… then why do those who realize such thing not undertake such
mission?
I answer: it is due to negligence and wasting time in
replying to the nonsense that does not cease to attack July 23rd
revolution and Nasser… and because of practices committed by some Nasserists that
give excuse to such attack.
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
This article was published in
Al Ahram newspaper on July 27, 2017.
To see the original article,
go to:
#alahram #ahmed_elgammal
#Egypt #July_23_1952_revolution #Nasser
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