Interview- FIS ex-member: the party was an elephant with ant head (part 3)

(part 3)

It is said the FIS’ members discussed the party’s name more than they did about its program.

That’s not true. It is Abbassi Madani who suggested this name but the FIS’ problem was that it had no organization. In 1989, 1990, 1991, many events happened that the party’s consultative council did not have time to meet.

How was the FIS’ organization chart?

There was no organization and there were not enough competences. Practical experience was missing. As far as I concerned, the party looked like an elephant with an ant’s head. I met eminent personalities in the Islamist movement. We talked about banning the electoral process. They said there was a conspiracy from the army because the FIS was not allowed to reach power. I told them that might be true but they should not have given the army an opportunity to beat them. Abbassi Madani wanted to put more pressure on the government to organize anticipated presidential elections.

You bear the responsibility as well.

If Abbassi was qualified to lead the FIS and respected its consultative council, we would have found solutions for all the problems. The party was founded and dissolved while it did not have regulations. Each time, Abbassi postponed adoption of the FIS’ regulations. He worked individually and considered the party’s founders as incompetent.

It is believed that authorities were involved in the creation of the FIS.

Everyone thought that the Islamist movement would have no chance for success. Yet, people were looking for change and saw that the FIS represented faithful Algerians.

When Abbassi Madani went to the interior ministry to submit the party’s accreditation dossier, there were protests in some cities to put pressure on authorities to accept the accreditation request. What happened?

I was there at the ministry. There were no protests. Some rallies took place in the province of Constantine (east of Algiers) due to delayed reply from the ministry. Abbassi threatened authorities, saying “if the FIS does not get the accreditation, we will announce jihad.”

When the party was accredited, what happened?

The FIS organized a spectacular march in April 1990 to call for the release of people sentenced to death in the Bouili issue. Another march was organized in June 1990 ahead of elections.

What are the main trends in the FIS?

Ali Belhadj represented the Salafist trend. Academics represented the intellectual category and the rest was Islamist commands with strong religious emotion.

Local elections were organized and the FIS won the majority though authorities and the FLN party expected the opposite.

There was no exceptional preparation for those elections and we did not open any debate workshops. We made lists and people supported us because they trusted many names. The situation needed change.

That victory motivated the FIS and Abbassi.

Abbassi did not care a lot about the local elections because they were not as important as legislatives. I remember he was asked whether he would call for departure of President Chadli. He answered: “It does not matter. The man can stay or leave.”

Abu Djerra Soltani ran for legislative elections though he supported the Muslim Brotherhood.

Soltani did not run as being MSP’s member. A representative of the FIS in eastern Algeria was his friend and suggested him to run for the elections.

Soltani is now the MSP’s leader. We want to know more details about his relation with the FIS.

He ran for legislatives because he is an opportunist. He knew that the FIS would win.

It is said Algerians voted for the FIS to punish authorities and the FLN.

It was a defeat for the FLN and authorities. Those elections showed that the Algerian people were aware that the FLN and authorities failed in dealing with their concerns. People noticed that all the parties at that time were the same. The FIS was a real revolution. Because of that, people supported it.

In a TV talk, the RCD’s leader Said Saadi told Abbassi the FIS would not reach power.

These are influential people because they have supporters in power, media and government. Many other parts did not want that the FIS reaches power.

Authorities did not expect the FIS’ victory. Did the party expect that?

We expected that the party would win about 70 percent of votes. We knew what people wanted and how they were thinking.

How much was the party’s budget estimated at?

It was a considerable budget and I don’t want to talk about details.

How much did members pay per month?

They paid 100 DZ per month. There were about one million members.

Where were the money spent?

Some sums were spent by the Social Affairs Commission. Others were in the form of aid to areas hit by natural catastrophes.

To be continued.