CAIRO: Former Vice President of the Cassation Court and presidential hopeful judge Hesham El-Bastawisi held a symposium Tuesday to discuss his political program. Around a hundred people crowded the small hall at the Center for Socialist Studies, where El-Bastawisi started by saying that the January 25 Revolution would fix the flaws of the July 23 Revolution and put it back on the right track. He added that the basis of his political program would be to flesh out the principles of the July 23 Revolution, while ending all the mistakes it accumulated over the past 60 years. On July 23, 1952 a military coup overthrew Egypt's last monarch King Farouk and established a republic, achieving many gains for poor farmers and workers who called for social justice. But unlike the Marxist views espoused by the 1952 coup, El-Bastawisi stressed that Egypt must retain its free market economy, adding that improving the living conditions of workers and the poor segments of society would be one of his primary goals if elected president. El-Bastawisi also said that the revolution wasn't over and that it would continue even after a new president is elected. He commended the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces for protecting the revolution and the people, however, expressed concern that the military was effectively ruling the country, not the revolutionaries. “People need to stay alert,” El-Bastawisi said, as opposed to blindly trusting the military. “If the army does anything to jeopardize the revolution or its achievements, the people must hold it accountable.” He added that the system of government must be a combination of presidential and parliamentary, where the president isn't the sole decision-maker. “When more people are involved in the decision-making process, the likelihood of error is reduced,” he said. Outlining his education policy, for instance, El-Bastawisi suggested that public education be free for all Egyptian citizens until high school, but that higher education must be paid for, adding that students who repeatedly fail should be required to pay tuition. His views express a radical shift from successive government policies that saw the fully subsidized education system as a security issue. Weighing in on the issue of sectarian strife, El-Bastawisi addressed the controversial Article 2 of the constitution, which states that Islam is the religion of the state and that Islamic jurisprudence is the principal source of legislation. “If Muslims and Christians understood Article 2 correctly, they would have no problem with it whatsoever,” he said, explaining that Islamic jurisprudence is “the principal source” not the only source. He explained that the principles of Islamic jurisprudence are no different from the principles of Christianity or Judaism and support equality between Muslims and non- Muslims, accusing the former regime of stoking sectarian tension. “Once we establish a democratic state including free political parties and unions, we won't have sectarian strife,” El-Bastawisi said. Regarding the Muslim Brotherhood, El-Bastawisi said they are Egyptian citizens and therefore they have the right to practice politics and form a political party, according to the law and the constitution. “We can't just illuminate someone [from the political arena] because we disagree with them,” he said. As for foreign relations, El-Bastawisi said that Egypt cannot cancel its peace treaty with Israel because this would compromise Egypt's credibility in the international community, stressing, however, that according to international laws, Egypt has the right to renegotiate certain clauses in the Camp David Accords if it is in the country's best interest. When it comes to Egypt's much-debated deal to export gas to Israel at reduced prices, he explained that since this is “a contract” it can be modified or cancelled altogether. El-Bastawisi rose to recognition when he blew the whistle on judges colluding with then ruling National Democratic Party to rig the 2005 legislative elections, after which he faced disciplinary action on charges of tarnishing the image of the judiciary. He is also known for being active in calling for the complete independence of the judiciary from state control.
