• Reports
  • November 2, 2005
  • 4 minutes read

Reform is Product of Cooperative Efforts

Abu el-Fotoh: Reform is Product of Cooperative Efforts
Dr. Abdel Monam Abu el-Fotoh, a member of the Supreme Council of the Moslem Brotherhood and the General Secretary of the Arab Physicians’ Union, proclaimed that the upcoming parliamentary election is the turning point of the Egyptian political life. He also stressed that the Moslem Brotherhood, in participation with other political powers, seeks to achieve the authentic reform.


“The National Front for Change and Reform embodies a significant means of coordination among different opposing powers. The separate electoral list of the Moslem Brotherhood is not a reason of division inside the Front”, Abu el-Fotoh said. “The Moslem Brotherhood is the only power that stands aside some of its competent candidates for the favor of the Front’s nominees. Dr. Abdel Hameed el-Khzaly, a professor at Cairo University, has abandoned his candidacy for Dr. Magedy Ahmed, the General Secretary of el-Amal Party and one of the Front candidates, for example”, he added.


Abu el-Fotoh’s statements were during his interview with the BBC, in the Hour Topic program, aired at 2 GMT. The interviewees were Abu el-Fotoh, Dr. Mustafa Oloy, a professor of political science at Cairo University, Hussein Abdel Razeq, the General Secrtary of al-Tagammoa Party, Muhammad el-Said, the vice of Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies and a member of Kefaaia Movement, and Yumna el-Hamaqy, the coordinator of woman affaires in the NDP.


In his comment on the political and constitutional reform about which Oloy, a leading member in the NDP, was talking, Abu el-Fotoh said that as long as the freedom-curbing laws are still in force, for example, the emergency law, this alleged reforms are ineffective. In addition, the amendments introduced by the suspended parliament to the applicable political laws put more restrictions such as Parties Law, which suggested more conditions and terms to launch parties along with hindering measures on their action.


Abu el-Fotoh reinforced that the Moslem Brotherhood enhances the national unity and seeks to publicize the Christian culture through backing some Christian candidates. For instance, the MB has supported in parliamentary election 2000 Dr. Monir Fakhry Abdel Nor. In the current election, the Moslem Brotherhood boosts the Christian nominee of Wady el-Natroon district. Abu el- Fotoh underlined that the slogan of the movement, ’Islam is the remedy’ does not contradict with the national unity and to the MB stance regards the Christians. 


Abu el-Fotoh shed light on the female nomination of the MB, saying that the general unhealthy political atmosphere in Egypt along with the restricted security measures do not pave the way to nominate large number of female candidates to stand for the election. Therefore, the movement appointed only one female nominee to run for the upcoming parliamentary election, Dr. Makarm el-Deary.


In his answer to Hussein Abdel Razeq’s remark that the MB contest for the election with separate electoral list besides that of the National Front for Change, Abu el-Fotoh explained that the Front delayed to prepare its unified list and that the time element is crucial.


On his part, Mustafa Oloy repudiated that the National Democratic Party suffers from differences. Nevertheless, some NDP members contest for the election as independent candidates, without relinquishing the party, and stand against the NDP nominees.


Hussein Abdel Razeq indicated that Gad Party, an opposing nascent party,  did not take part in the National Front due to the profound division over the presidency of the party between Dr. Ayman Nor and Mussa Mustafa Mussa.