CAIRO: The deterioration of state affairs is due to the ill management of the transitional phase characterized by “absence of vision, transparency and honesty in dealing with the people, and hesitancy in decision making,” presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei said in a statement late Sunday. Referring to the latest clashes near the Israeli embassy, which he described as “irresponsible,” ElBaradei stated that such actions stem from the lack of transparency between the authorities and people. He called on the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to reevaluate its management of state affairs and work on achieving the basic demands of the revolution, which he summed up in five main points. Firstly, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency asked the SCAF to provide a roadmap of the transitional phase, which includes reconsidering the constitutional declaration and holding parliamentary and presidential elections that provide equal opportunity and fair representation. Restructuring the security system came second. ElBaradei said it shouldn't be limited to purifying the system but also include changing the attitude and beliefs of policemen. The security system must understand that its role is to protect the people and respect their rights and freedoms instead of being a suppression tool, he said. He also called for media independence and for purifying state-owned media from those who helped tighten the previous regime's grip on people's minds. He also called for purifying the judicial authority to achieve independence. A short-term economic plan was ElBaradei's last point. It should entail attracting investors as well as tourists, bearing in mind social justice. At least half the Egyptian population lives under poverty line, which justifies why such demand should have been met “yesterday”, he said.
