CAIRO: Emergency law is a necessary evil, important for citizen's security and the protection of the investments, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said on Wednesday. He stressed that judicial supervision would not be overridden and that the law would not be used in publishing or political cases, but will be restricted to crimes related to narcotics and terrorism. The premier discussed the emergency laws, subsidies and poverty in an interview with Lamees El-Hadidy on state TV Wednesday night. “I hereby confirm that the emergency law will not be used for any other purpose,” he said, adding that numerous detainees have been released since the state of emergency — in place since 1981 — was renewed last month for two more years. Muslim Brotherhood lawyer Abdel-Meniem Abdel-Maqsoud questioned this statement saying, “The application of the emergency law is restricted to the involvement in terrorism and drug dealing, so how come there are currently tens of detainees currently held by the State Security and they are not accused of either?” Over 190 Muslim Brotherhood members were arrested during the crackdown on the banned group earlier this year after taking part in nationwide pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Speaking about the protests and sit-ins, Nazif described them as “a positive phenomenon.” “It's the right of people who felt they were treated unjustly to express their anger in a legal and civilized manner,” he said. “We cooperate and listen to protestors and work on finding solutions for their problems,” Nazif said in light of the ongoing and increasing labor strikes. Mohamed Adel, member of the April 6 Youth Movement, disagreed. He pointed to the mistreatment of protestors and the violence used against them in recent demonstrations. An MP affiliated with the ruling National Democratic Part even called on the police to shoot protestors, Adel noted. The prime minister said that the government is currently working on a new bankruptcy law that would guarantee the rights of the workers and the state and set the relationship between the employer and his workers. On the other hand, regarding the outcry over increasing prices, Nazif described them as “temporary.” Speaking of poverty, Nazif said that the poverty rate in Egypt is decreasing as it now stands between 20 to 22 percent. “Egypt is better than many other countries which may seem more developed,” he added. However, he said that even though the poverty rate is going down the number of poor people remains the same due to the increase in population. He cited the latest research on income and spending by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics which stated that the standard of living for 8 million people has increased, however it remained the same for 6 million people. The study is conducted every three years. He said that the current subsidies portfolio has its flaws and there should be more subsidies for commodities and petroleum resources. As for the ongoing negotiations over Nile water, Nazif said, “Egypt is in no danger.”
