Following the resignation of former housing minister Ibrahim Suleiman, opposition parties are pressing for all MPs to be excluded from public sector posts, reports Gamal Essam El-Din Following the resignation of former housing minister Ibrahim Suleiman, opposition parties are pressing for all MPs to be excluded from public sector posts, reports Gamal Essam El-Din The resignation of former housing minister Ibrahim Suleiman on 26 January, from parliament and as chairman of the Maritime Petroleum Services Company (MPSC), sparked a furious reaction in independent and opposition circles. Gamal Zahran, independent MP and professor of economics and political science at Suez Canal University, submitted an interpellation (a question that must be answered by cabinet ministers) on Saturday, asking why the 28 January ruling issued by the State Council's Division of Fatwa and Legislation (DFL), demanding Suleiman be removed as head of MPSC, did not apply to the 10 other MPs appointed to lucrative posts in the public sector, mostly in publicly owned petroleum companies. Zahran argued that the State Council ruling should be applied to former prime minister Atef Ebeid, an appointed member of the consultative upper house, the Shura Council, and currently the chairman of the Arab International Bank (AIB). "AIB is a joint-stock bank in which the government owns a controlling majority of shares and thus has the final say in the appointing of officials," said Zahran. "It is illegal that Ebeid should serve as the chairman of what is effectively a government bank while retaining his seat in the Shura Council." Zahran charged that Ebeid is paid up to LE36 million a year, or LE3 million monthly, as AIB chairman. "This is far greater than the LE50,000 salary Suleiman is alleged to have received as chairman of MPSC," said Zahran. He urged the government of Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, and the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), to respect Article 95 of the constitution as well as Article 372 of parliamentary regulations, both of which prohibit MPs from accepting appointments in government-owned entities. "Following the State Council ruling it is now up to the government to honour the law and apply it to all MPs," argued Zahran. "Ebeid must now choose between his job at the bank and his membership of the Shura Council. Should he resign from the bank he should pay back all the amount of money he has received since being appointed AIB chairman in July 2004." Zahran criticised the longstanding NDP habit of appointing cabinet ministers, especially those with a business background, to the Shura Council, or else allowing them to run on the party's ticket in parliamentary elections." "Experience shows us that cabinet ministers who double as elected MPs have never exercised a parliamentary role. They enter parliament simply to enjoy immunity," said Zahran. The constitution allows cabinet ministers to run in elections and become MPs but forbids provincial governors from doing so. Rifaat El-Said, chairman of the opposition Tagammu Party, also cried foul during a meeting of the Shura Council on Sunday. "The government of Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif has set a bad example by violating the constitution. It is inconceivable that this government can allow members of the People's Assembly or Shura Council to take lucrative jobs in banks and public sector companies. Surely it is the first duty of the government to uphold the rules of the constitution and abide by parliamentary regulations." Responding to El-Said's attack, Minister of State for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Moufid Shehab argued that, "when the government approved Suleiman's appointment as chairman of MPSC last year it was unaware that this contravened the constitution." "As soon as the State Council issued its ruling the government removed Suleiman from his post, displaying its respect of both the law and the constitution." Responding to questions about Ebeid, Shehab indicated that MPs are legally allowed to work at joint stock companies. And as the Arab International Bank (AIB) is a joint stock bank, so it is legal for Ebeid to chair the AIB beside being a member of the Shura Council, Shehab argued. A Ministry of Petroleum statement said former housing minister Ibrahim Suleiman had repaid LE348,600, money received since he became the chairman of MPSC in July 2009. Meanwhile, Minister of Interior Habib El-Adli issued a decree on Sunday ordering by- elections in the Cairo South district of Gammaliya to be held on 14 March to fill the seat left vacant following Suleiman's resignation. In his interpellation Zahran also asked that the State Council ruling be applied to Hani Seif El-Nasr. "El-Nasr doubles as both an elected member of the Shura Council and chairman of the Social Fund for Development and is also a member of the board of the government-owned Misr Bank," said Zahran. "This is another breach of the law and the constitution."
