'Revolutionaries' front launched on Tuesday in Cairo to provide 'alternative path to military and Muslim Brotherhood'.
A new front, dubbed "Revolution Path Front" aimed at providing an alternative to the current "polarization" between the military and Muslim Brotherhood has been launched on Tuesday in a press conference attended by tens of leading political figures, activists and groups.
"It has been two-and-a-half years since the revolution began and Egyptians have not yet achieved their dream of building a new republic that will provide them with democracy, justice and equality," according to the front's founding statement read by prominent leftist-economist Wael Gamal.
"Millions have taken to the streets twice; once in January 2011 to topple Mubarak's regime, which was based on corruption and oppression… and a second time in June 2013, forcing Mohamed Morsi to step down after losing legitimacy as a result of the Brotherhood's attempts to monopolize political life and rebuild an oppressive system," the statement added.
The aim of the front, explained Gamal, is to work for the redistribution of wealth, achieve social justice, combat the formation of an oppressive regime, achieve equality between citizens, set the path for transitional justice and adopt foreign policies that guarantee national independence.
The call for an "Egyptian Bill of Rights," will be one of many campaigns the front aims at developing, and will include collecting at least one million signatures on a rights document that will stipulate the desired civil, economic, political and cultural rights of Egyptians.
Known activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah, April 6 founding member Ahmed Maher, renowned author Ahdaf Soueif, and labor lawyer Haitham Mohamadein were amongst several political figures to announce the launch of the new front.
"Equal citizenship, the right to health, the right to education, the right to a minimum wage and fair trials are among many of the points to be included in the bill of rights," said labour activist and member of the Revolutionary Socialists Mohamadein.
"The revolution's goals are being forgotten and hence there is a need for this front," said April 6's Maher.
According to Abdel-Fattah, membership in the new front will only be open to individuals, even if many of them belong to a particular political group or party. The front should provide a centralized and democratic body that can hold together a network of individual activists and movements, he explained.
Student activist Wesam Atta, a member of Justice and Freedom Youth, said that a meeting will be held Saturday to accept membership proposals and form committees within various governorates.
The front already includes leading members of April 6, the April 6 Democratic Front, Strong Egypt Party, the Revolutionary Socialists and the Justice and Freedom Youth.
Egypt’s military led a coalition of political forces in removing the Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi from the presidency in July, after mass national protests against the former elected president.
[This article originally appeared on Ahram Online.]