CAIRO: The People s Assembly (PA) is accused of double standards when dealing with PA members affiliated with the National Democratic Party (NDP) and those belonging to opposition parties and groups. The issue was reported by Al Dostour, daily newspaper, as a follow up to the results of the PA s investigations committee report dealing with the Hidelina company s 200,000 contaminated blood bags that were found infected with bacteria and fungi likely to cause cancer and hepatitis. The investigations committee found that the Hidelina company, which is owned by Hani Surur, PA member affiliated with the NDP, not guilty, Al Dostour reported. It added that Surur deserves an apology after more than six months of investigations on the issue. Last April however, Sabry Amer and Ragab Abu Zeid, two PA members affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood were taken into custody in Menufiya city, during a meeting they were holding with some members of the Brotherhood, despite the fact that according to the constitution, PA members cannot be detained or investigated without removing their immunity, unless they are caught committing a crime. The meeting was allegedly held to discuss the upcoming Shoura Council elections. Of course there are double standards in the PA that favor NDP members over other members, said Mohamed Mostafa, PA member affiliated with Al-Wafd political party to The Daily Star Egypt. [The double standard] is very obvious and is used bluntly, Mostafa said. Mostafa also illustrated two recent examples to prove his point of view. According to him, two PA members affiliated with the NDP have accusations that would not allow them to stay at the PA. One of them has a dual nationality which by law prevents him from joining the PA and the other is facing a lawsuit in Cairo s appeals court [for problems that surrounded his election, doubting its validity], said Mostafa. However, they were called for yesterday by names in the voting on the case of Anwar El Sadat, PA independent member who was questioned to be dismissed from the PA after he was legally declared bankrupt by Cairo s appeals court. Mostafa does not see a way out of this problem of double standards. In order for that approach to stop, the other side [PA] must understand the importance of applying the same standards to everyone . On the other hand, Mohamed Khalil Kwaitah, PA member affiliated with the NDP, denied to The Daily Star Egypt the presence of such an attitude and said that the PA deals with its members on the basis of courts lawsuits. He says that there have been so many members affiliated with the NDP who got fired from the PA and lost their memberships over crimes that they have been charged with.
