Former Egyptian IM Eissawy: Banning Brotherhood From Joining Police Academy Injustice

Former Interior Minister, Mansour Eissawy, stated that he was determined to hold dialogue with those harmed by the security apparatus, during the ousted Mubarak’s rule, namely the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Islamists and Copts. Speaking on Egyptian private satellite TV channel CBC, he stressed: "The MB deputy Chairman Khairat Al-Shater was a very mature leader".

He said that he had discussions with Al-Shater about abuses suffered by the MB during the corrupt previous regime. Meanwhile, he denied that Al-Shater asked him to allow (MB) Brothers to join the Police Academy, adding: "It was a great injustice to ban young men from the MB and Bedouins from Sinai from entering the academy during Mubarak’s rule. Both the police and military forces should have welcomed all elements of the Egyptian public to be part of the academies".

Eissawy stressed: "Had the Interior Minister been a Brother, during the Mohamed Mahmoud St. violent events, they would have contained the situation, just as they safeguarded the parliament from potential attacks".

The former IM explained that the Interior Ministry is currently facing challenges regarding national security information, with the old State Security apparatus dissolved, and the new force not yet at the required level for efficiency. "During the former regime’s reign, the security apparatus had boasted competence regarding information; however, it spoiled it by interfering in all state institutions.

He attributed the police’s evident indifferent stance during the Port Said incident to fear and uncertainty as to how best to deal with the masses, describing the attacks as a definite conspiracy. "Nevertheless, the police should have secured the gates before the match, or asked for the match to be played elsewhere", Eissawy asserted.

Eissawy also called on the Police Academy to allow law graduates the chance to join the academy for a one-year course, stating it would save the nation large sums of money. "We also need to raise the standard and efficiency of academy graduates”, he stressed.

He added that restructuring the Interior Ministry must be in accordance with the law, pointing out that if the law had been applied during the former regime, the revolution would not have taken place.