CAIRO: Antiquities professor Abdel Fatah al-Banna, who was announced as Egypt's new minister of antiquities has been removed from the list of the new Cabinet members as worries over his character surfaced. He was informed of his removal from the reshuffle hours before the scheduled oath ceremony was to take place on Monday. Prime Minister Essam Sharaf is now holding further discussions to replace al-Banna, who had been appointed to take over from Zahi Hawass, the well-known antiquities chief who resigned on Sunday amid massive protests from the activist and archaeological community. Then, further pressures from archeologists removed al-Banna's name from the new Cabinet. Researchers and Egyptologists had sent many requests to Sharaf expressing their disapproval of al-Banna and accused him of having “vengeance” against many of them. Reports mentioned that al-Banna's name is on corruption lists and many of his colleagues accuse him of using his position within the department for personal and financial gains. Mohamed Hegazy, the spokesman for the prime minister, announced Monday the delaying of the swearing in ceremony for the new cabinet due to the Prime Minister's meetings and delegations with different political parties. It is now scheduled to take place on Tuesday. Most of the protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square have rejected the Cabinet overhaul and a number of movements announced Friday to be “the Friday of the Govermnent's Fall.” At around 6 pm on Sunday, a few hundred protesters marched from Tahrir square to the Prime Minister's office, chanting anti-government slogans and expressing their refusal of the new Cabinet changes. The “Revolution Youth Coalition met on Moday to discuss the new cabinet changes and the future of the sit-in in Tahrir. They announced after their meeting that they would remain in the square unless two demands are met. The first is clearly clarifying the role, duties and references of the prime minister, in a direct indication that the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) is interfering in his decisions and powers, and the second condition is the immediate compensation for the families of those who were killed by police during the 18 days of protests that began on January 25 and ousted the former regime. Sharaf has announced the formation of a fund that benefits those families and announced he will head it personally. It was revealed that each family will receive monthly compensation of 1500 Egyptian pounds ($250). The coalition added that Sharaf's Cabinet is no longer “the revolution cabinet,” a term Sharaf had been keen to coin for his cabinet. Late on Sunday night, Dr. Amr Helmy, the new minister of health visited Tarir to the cheering of protesters. “I am from these people and I demand the right of these people for a good life and the word now is for the people from January 25 the word has become from the people,” he said addressing hundreds of protesters. Helmy later tweeted pictures from the square on his Twitter account, announcing his support for the protest. BM
