In his lecture, Dr. Ayman Abdel Wahab spoke about the absence of active civil society organizations in Egypt. He maintained that the role of civil societies in Egypt is more charity oriented rather than human rights oriented. Although those organizations were able to consolidate the values of integration and solidarity, yet they failed to establish the concepts of freedom, dignity or citizenship. He added that the charitable and humanitarian role of civil societies contributed to fulfilling societal needs that were supposed to be addressed by the state. In light of the social changes that have taken place after 25 January Revolution, he called for reviving the role of civil societies in the future through redefining their cultural component, broadening their scope of work, re-drafting laws and regulations governing them, and creating a link between the NGOs and civil society organizations.
In his speech, Talimah explained how youth have been facing a major crisis of political participation in Egypt since 1979. Even after the 25th of January Revolution, which renewed the concept of youth involvement and strengthened their faith in change, obstacles still remain, which undermine the role of youth in the Parliament as well as their political participation. Moreover, the restructuring of old political parties still do not conform with the revolutionary spirit overwhelming Egypt’s public sphere. He emphasized the need for Egyptian youth to unite under one powerful revolutionary party, and struggle to develop a new set of students’ policies to achieve youth political empowerment.
In his speech, Essam Sultan discussed the results of the parliamentary elections, criticizing the rise of Islamophobia in Egypt after the Islamists gained parliamentary majorities. He believes that any party would have to comply with the current national agenda, in order to avoid any confrontation with the national mainstream. He emphasized that demanding justice for the martyrs, the injured and their families should be on top of the Parliament agenda, not only by securing their financial rights, but also through changing the cultural and educational systems, as well as media, to honor their sacrifices for the good of Egypt. He concluded that the Parliament must preserve the Islamic identity of the country, regardless of any controversies or debates.
In his speech, Amr El-Shobaki spoke about the two legitimate powers currently prevailing on the political arena, namely the revolutionary legitimacy derived from Tahrir Square and other squares all over the country, and the democratic legitimacy represented by the Parliament. He stressed the importance of integrating the two powers to help develop a new political system comprising opposition political parties with their agendas and a clear set of ideologies represented in the Parliament. He said that he is not concerned about the Islamists’ gaining the majority in the Parliament, as long as they will reach a consensus on the principles of the new constitution, the foundations of the modern State, and the democratic practices. He touched upon some of problems which occurred in the post-revolutionary Egypt, such as the mismanagement of the transitional phase, in addition to the faults of some political elites.