CAIRO: In an interview with Al-Arabiya Channel, former head of the steering committee of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz said that he holds himself accountable for the party's political collapse after January 25 revolution. “When I saw the party's headquarters and other centers burned down, I felt responsible for that,” said Ezz. “I resigned from my position as the general secretariat of the party.” According to a report published by Al-Jazeera after his resignation from the NDP, Ezz was first seen with Gamal Mubarak at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 1996, when his monopoly over the economic sector started. He was appointed as head of the steering committee of the NDP and head of the People's Assembly's planning and budget committee in 2000, the committee that amended many economic plans seen unfavorable for Egypt's underprivileged. During his interview on Al-Arabiya, Ezz confirmed that he was a member of the NDP since 1988, and that it was his dedication during his development work inside Sadat City that was admired by party officials and led to his appointment as the party's general secretariat in 2000. He denied any connections to vote rigging or fraud that took place in the last parliamentary elections, saying his role was merely organizational. “It was not my responsibility to regulate what is happening inside the voting stations, my role is to choose reliable candidates to represent the party in the elections,” said Ezz. “Other than that, it is the responsibility of the state.” The business tycoon confessed that the youth movement surprised him, adding that the party's vision of a slow transition towards democracy and economic reform did not match the youth's vision. “The...youth's dreams were higher than what we expected. They wanted immediate change,” he added. “They crossed the lines and saw the very far reaching point accessible while we didn't.” Regarding constitutional amendments, Ezz claimed changing Article 76 is the most essential, after he defended the party's position on who should run for presidency. “We saw that a presidential candidate should come from a solid political background, not as an independent, and this is not to exclude the Muslim Brotherhood,” he said. “But it seems that this is not what the people want.” Ezz said that if the appeals committee decided to rerun elections in his constituency, he will be the first to support it. Ezz's investment in the steel industry is in question especially after accusations of squandering public funds regarding his shares in Ezz El-Dekhiela Company where he is said to own 68 percent of shares. “I invested in El-Dekhiela as a strategic investor in 1999 when the company was going thought severe financial deficits,” said Ezz. “I bought all the shares belonging to the foreign investors and did not even touch the shares owned by public companies.” Ezz claimed that the company's stock value was LE 70, now it is LE 700. “The decision of the Prosecutor General to freeze my accounts surprised me, but I think it is a precautionary decision, because I have nothing to hide.” –Daily News Egypt
