FJP Rejects Selmi’s Initiatives , Warns of Heightened Political Polarization Ahead of Elections

After five full hours, Tuesday’s conference for the declaration of the basic principles of the Constitution of the modern Egyptian state came to an end. Dr. Ali Selmi, Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs held the meeting with some political and party stakeholders at the Opera House, from 11 am to 4 pm.

At the end of the conference, Dr. Ali Selmi stated that the draft document on constitutional standards is not to be imposed on anyone: “Those who accept it are welcome; and those who reject it are just as welcome" noting that the meeting’s deliberations and views will be sorted out and the final result of the conference will be declared, with details of participants who accepted or rejected the document, stressing that those who boycotted the conference and did not attend, must bear the responsibility of so doing.

On the other hand, Dr. Osama Yassin, Assistant Secretary-General of the Freedom and Justice party (FJP) said: "The party rejects this initiative in form, substance and timing."

Dr. Yassin added, in a statement to IkhwanWeb: "The principles Dr. Ali Selmi is talking about were raised at a previous meeting attended by the FJP and some other parties in the presence of Sami Annan, Army Chief of Staff. It was agreed, then, that these criteria are more like a code of honour, that abiding by them is a matter of courtesy only, and that they are not supra-constitutional principles."

He continued: "These principles circumvent the will of the Egyptian people and sneak around the March 19 referendum."

The FJP Assistant Secretary called upon the government to get busy ending the state of emergency, enforcing the law of political isolation on the remnants of the defunct National Party and dealing with rampant corruption, rather than seeking to create an atmosphere of political polarization and strife clearly prefabricated and planted amongst the one nation from time to time."

Dr. Yassin explained that: "Raising the issue of these principles at this time, when everyone is busy getting ready for the elections, is suspicious and indeed raises hundreds of question marks!"

Regarding the approval of the document by liberal and leftist parties, like the Wafd and the Tajammu’a, while Islamists rejected it, Dr. Yassin said: "We urge everyone to reject these principles and persist in the march, according to the timetable set by the majority, for democratic transformation in Egypt and respect the will of the Egyptian people."

He stressed that bringing back polarization among the Egyptian people is totally unacceptable, stressing that the FJP is determined that the constitution must be for all Egyptians, and that the Egyptian public with all its components must be involved in forming the new Egypt’s constitution."

He pointed out that the FJP is inviting political stakeholders to a news conference, as an expression of its sincere desire to safeguard Egypt and fend off attempts to spark a new polarization in the community which will not benefit the country nor the democracy eagerly sought by every-one in post-revolution Egypt.

The FJP did call upon political parties and national stakeholders to take part Wednesday in a press conference (at 1PM, November 2), at the party headquarters in Cairo, to discuss the negative effects of Dr. Selmi’s initiative on the revolution and the community at large.

Meanwhile, the Wafd, the Tajammu’a and the Egyptian Social Democratic parties have accepted the Principles document, amid strong rejection by the FJP and Al-Nour, while six human rights organizations boycotted Selmi’s conference because of the issues of military trials and “torture.