The last few months witnessed an escalation of the attack against the minimum range of freedoms existing in our society. This is clear in the defamation campaigns on free press, the sieges on the rising workers' movements and the other forms of opposition. Moreover, imposing laws, which defame citizens' will, prosecution before military courts, violating the right to organization and occupying streets with military camps, etc.
The previous points are joined together, because freedom is mentioned as a whole. We state that a strong civil society which could help people to organize themselves in order to call for their legitimate rights of social justice, equality and living with dignity, which is a principal support to guarantee freedom of expression, though the word of honor presents the most important support for the civil society, which was always put on margin and exiled.
The Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) is part of civil society and it is an important advocate of it, especially because the political life in general are getting weaker due to the restrictions imposed on parties, which lack interacting with the public, except one party which is the sole controller of the policy of this country.
On this domain, the newspapers are daily publishing news on the attacks practiced against the few NGOs left on the scene. Moreover, the provocation processes are moving rapidly and consequently, starting with refusing the organizations' registration until the security apparatuses interference and objection (I witnessed this in an organization I have the honor to belong to, which is New Women Association) , in addition to the declarations which is considered a defamation and an insult to its nationalism and ethics or its fairness and funding sources, until the provocation exceeded its limits to making a cordon over the headquarter of The Center for Trade Union and Workers' Services by the central security strollers and armored soldiers, which remind us with a real war. At the same time, In closed doors there are some preparations for imposing more restriction on freedom of organization by making principal amendments on the law, which organize NGOs and private institutions' activities. Moreover, In continuation to the false picture of democracy, the authorities hold discussions with organizations, which restricted its demands on reducing the electricity bill and some other taxing exemptions. While they ignore human rights organizations, which principal demand is to stop security and administrative interferences to maintain civil society organizations and non governmental organizations in particular to participate and help in lifting up the society suffering from siege for more than 50 years.
On the other hand, we listen to speeches by some officials calling for civil society participation, the weird thing is that speeches doesn't accord with the act, the two are contradictory, in which it makes us think that the last speech is just words with an aim to clear up the government's reputation and put it on the frame of democracy.
I hope I could call upon, with your cooperation, all trusted people to collect its efforts to defend the Egyptian civil society, which without its strong influence there will be no hope for reform, progress or development
Nawla Darwish
Civil Society Activist