Egypt's 'Conscience Front' urges govt shake-up

Made up of Islamists and other political figures, Egypt's National Conscience Front talks to President Morsi about 'the need for strong, competent premier and ministers'

Egypt's 'National Conscience Front' called for a ministerial reshuffle – to include Prime Minister Hisham Qandil – during a lengthy meeting with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and his assistants on Saturday.
At the presidential palace in Cairo, the front – which was launched in February and consists of a number of well-known Islamist and other political figures – discussed a host of requests and recommendations with Morsi.
Attending the meeting was front head Ibrahim Yossri and general coordinator Hatem Azam, in addition to a number of front members, including veteran journalist Wael Qandil, leading Muslim Brotherhood figure Mohamed El-Beltagi and the moderate-Islamist Wasat Party's Essam Sultan.
In a Facebook post he described as the front's official statement on the meeting, Azam cited the main points of the two-and-a-half-hour discussion at the presidential palace.
He said the president delivered a 45-minute speech before "listening carefully" to the front's requests and recommendations for another hour. Presidential aide Pakinam El-Sharkawy took over chairmanship of the meeting afterwards.
At the top of these points, which Azam said aimed to yield "political, economic and social improvements," is the installation of a new cabinet of ministers.
"[We highlighted] the importance of replacing the government to put an end to Egypt's political and economic crises, and Egypt's need for a strong, competent premier and ministers committed to the Egyptian revolution," the statement reads.
The front stressed that some incumbent ministers were competent and active, conceding that "some efforts have been exerted and achievements realised; for instance, a 25-percent increase in wheat production that is expected to reach between 9.5 million and 10 million tonnes, indicating that Egypt is on the track to self-sufficiency."
Official estimates regarding the size of this year's wheat harvest in Egypt, the world's largest wheat importer, have yet to be revealed. However, no bread scarcities have been reported within the past few months, as had happened in the final years of the Hosni Mubarak era until the early months of Morsi's administration.
Egypt's agriculture and supply ministries are primarily responsible for the wheat file.
"But this isn't enough," continues the Conscience Front's statement, which also recommended a reshuffle at the prime ministerial level.
"The entire system must enjoy a high level of competence and total commitment to the Egyptian revolution… all ministers, especially the premier, must be able to take bold decisions and have a clear vision," the front asserted.
Morsi, during a recorded interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday, said that a ministerial reshuffle was imminent, without naming the ministries that would see changes to their leadership.
The Conscience Front also stated that the government should not rely on a proposed 4.8-billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), negotiations over which are still underway. Rather, it should find alternative solutions to revitalise the national economy, which has been struggling since Egypt's 2011 revolution.
Among the ministries that are incompetently run, according to the front, are those of justice, information, interior, foreign affairs and investment. Members of the front mainly blamed the latter's "shortcomings" on the influence of the "deep state," a term used to denote the alleged domination of the former regime over important state institutions.
On Sunday, Justice Minister Ahmed Mekki tendered his resignation in response to protests organised by the Muslim Brotherhood – the group from which President Morsi hails – and other Islamist forces to demand a "purge" of Egypt's judiciary.
The protest mainly called for ratification of a new judicial authority law that would reduce the retirement age for judges from 70 to 60. While many judges were unhappy with the proposed legislation, the front praised it, echoing the belief of Islamist protesters that the law would achieve "full judicial independence."
The Conscience Front also commented on the recent acquittal of former regime figures, saying it was the president's responsibility to protect Egypt's revolution from a "counter-revolution," which, they believe, pro-Mubarak elements are currently waging.
Several Mubarak-era oligarchs have been released pending trial in recent months, including the ousted president's chief-of-staff Zakaria Azmi, and Mubarak's housing minister Ibrahim Suleiman. Among those who have been acquitted are former culture minister Farouk Hosni, who was recently cleared of illegal profiteering charges.
Moreover, the front also demanded "retribution" against those responsible for the death of the revolution's "martyrs" and injured.
An Egyptian court earlier this month ordered the release without bail of Mubarak relating to charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during 2011's 18-day uprising. In June 2012, the former president was slapped with a life sentence for failing to protect peaceful demonstrators during the revolution, but was later granted a retrial due to "procedural irregularities" in the initial trial.
Also to be retried on the same charges is Habib El-Adly, Mubarak's notorious interior minister whose six senior aides were earlier cleared of wrongdoing. Many other policemen were exonerated of murder charges as well, infuriating many revolutionary forces that accuse the police of gunning down unarmed anti-regime protesters during the uprising that culminated in Mubarak's departure.
The Conscience Front also stressed the importance of finding a remedy for sectarian tensions in Egypt in hopes of preventing incidents like that which recently happened in the village El-Khosous north of Cairo, where six died earlier this month in clashes between Muslims and Christians.
The Nile Basin file and the sensitive issue of Egypt's share of potable water, along with economic cooperation between Egypt and neighbours Libya and Sudan were also among the points of discussion.
The last point as cited by Azam was the rejection of "repressive" methods of dealing with "revolutionary youth." The front called for the immediate release of political prisoners who, it asserted, had been "locked up for no just reason, such as members of the April 6 Youth Movement."
Egypt's National Conscience Front includes former minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mohamed Mahsoub; legal expert Ramadan Bateekh; former Islamist presidential candidate Mohamed Selim El-Awa; Ghad Al-Thawra Party leader Ayman Nour; and ex-parliamentarian Mohamed Mohieddin.
The front has been subject to fierce criticism since its launch, with detractors accusing it of being a kind of "contrived" opposition that aims to take pressure off the presidency. Its critics have been quick to point out that the front contains a number of prominent Islamist figures under its umbrella.
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