Bothaina Kamel:
Daughter of Tahrir
Runs for President
I want Egypt to be for all Egyptians. What is unfolding now is a scheme to divide Egypt and they are contributing to this scheme whether by good or bad intentions. (Photo: Ali Garboussi)
Bothaina Kamel is the first Egyptian woman to run for president. Al-Akhbar spoke to her about the nature of the revolution and the platform of her campaign, among other issues.
Ali Garboussi (AG): Tell us more about yourself.
Bothaina Kamel (BK): First of all, I am an Egyptian citizen. I am a journalist who graduated from the University of Cairo during an era in which there was nothing but state-run media. I decided to come out to the street and speak about the bitter situation of the Egyptian people in 2005, the day of the referendum to amend the constitution, allowing Mubarak to serve another term as president.
Then in 2006, I consciously stopped reading the news as an expression of my rejection of the lies that are disseminated within it. I am also a member of the Shaifinak (“We See You”) movement. I believe in citizen’s journalism and I consider myself only one of the daughters of Tahrir.
AG: When and why did you decide to run for president?
BK: I announced my candidacy for president in April after following what had been happening and confirming that the military council had betrayed the revolution and the revolutionaries. They did this by agreeing to the return of 3,000 Egyptians who were in Afghanistan and making shady deals with the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Islamic movement in Egypt does not have the same concern for religion as it has for its expansionist ambitions and its efforts to carry out the agenda of the West in Egypt. I will not stand for an Islamic emirate in Egypt. I want Egypt to be on equal footing with other countries.
I want Egypt to be for all Egyptians. What is unfolding now is a scheme to divide Egypt and they are contributing to this scheme whether by good or bad intentions. However, everyone must know that there is no such thing as a minority in Egypt. There are only Egyptians.
AG: Is what is taking place in Egypt a revolution or simply a coup?
BK: We toppled Mubarak only to bring back nineteen Mubaraks, who took their legitimacy from Mubarak before he left and with the blessings of their friends in the Mossad and Western intelligence. These guys are trying to bypass the revolution and buy and sell the blood of martyrs. We declare that if Mubarak is convicted, all of them will be put in prison, because they are part of one gang.
Let me tell you about when I was detained during the recent events on Mohamed Mahmoud Street. There were police officers that were in the ministry telling me “we are with Mubarak and [former interior minister Habib] al-Adeli’s men.” The revolution is not complete, and we must continue the fight and strip this council of its power. We must remain in the street to defend our revolution.
AG: Who supports Bothaina Kamel? Who is funding her election campaign?
BK: Bothaina Kamel is a daughter of the people and the youth of the revolution are the ones who are supporting me and helping me. I am paying for my election campaign out of my own pocket and I rely on the campaigns of residents of the other provinces of Egypt to publicize my election platform.
AG: So what is your platform?
BK: My platform can be summarized into two issues: fighting poverty and corruption, and realizing the goals of the revolution, i.e. freedom, democracy, and social justice. My platform is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As for my economic program, there are specialists busy preparing it. I am a democratic socialist who supports a diversified economy.
AG: Is it possible that we will see Bothaina Kamel within a political party?
BK: It’s possible but not at present. Perhaps the party closest to me is the Egyptian Social Democratic Party because I think it shares my vision for the future of Egypt.
AG: We’ll give you the last word.
BK: I want to address everyone here and Egyptian women in particular. Nobody is going to give us our rights. We must stand up and take them. We represent a real, major force and our being mothers also means that we are the future of this country. I want everyone to know that we are capable of overcoming ignorance and poverty [in the country] to achieve victory for Egypt.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.