Shell invests in Mina West gas development in Egyptian Mediterranean Sea    Egypt's FM highlights 'soft power' in Mali meeting with alumni    Egypt's foreign minister opens business forum in Niger, targets new partnerships    Egypt's FM delivers Al-Sisi message to Niger's leader, seeks deeper security ties    Rafah Crossing 'never been closed for one day' from Egypt: PM    Egypt will keep pushing for Gaza peace, aid: PM    Remittances from Egyptians abroad surge 70% YoY in July–May: CBE    Sudan's ambassador to Egypt holds reconstruction talks on with Arab League    Egypt's current account gap narrows, but overall BoP records deficit    Al-Sisi urges accelerated oil, gas discoveries, lower import bill    Egypt hosts international neurosurgery conference to drive medical innovation    Egypt's EDA discusses Johnson & Johnson's plans to expand investment in local pharmaceutical sector    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Sisi calls for boosting oil & gas investment to ease import burden    EGX to close Thursday for July 23 Revolution holiday    Egypt, Senegal sign pharma MoU to unify regulatory standards    Egyptian Drug Authority discusses plans for joint pharmaceutical plant in Zambia    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt, Somalia discuss closer environmental cooperation    Egypt foils terrorist plot, kills two militants linked to Hasm group    Giza Pyramids' interior lighting updated with new LED system    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Hesham Qandil's NDP membership revealed as a hoax
Published in Daily News Egypt on 25 - 07 - 2012

/div id="largeShowcase" class="showcase large inner"
It took less than 24 hours for newly-appointed Prime Minister Hesham Qandil to go from being a relatively unknown apolitical minister to a Muslim Brotherhood member or sympathiser, and finally to a high ranking member of former President Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party.
A screenshot of an NDP policies committee membership circulated over the Twitterverse on Wednesday with Qandil's name listed as number 120 out of the committee's 123 members.
The policies committee was the most influential decision making body within the NDP, and arguably Egypt, as was responsible for drafting policies that the NDP-dominated government would later enact.
The committee was led by Mubarak's son Gamal, who was being groomed to take over after the elder Hosny Mubarak. Being a member of the committee is a serious accusation to any official in post-revolutionary Egypt.
The NDP's website has been down ever since its disbandment following the popular uprising that ousted Mubarak. The Daily News Egypt was able to access archived copies of the list through internet archiving services.
Daily News Egypt can verify that Qandil's name is not on the list of policy committee members. A different member's name was edited out and replaced with the new premier's in the widely circulated image. Daily News Egypt accessed lists from 2003 until 2004 and was unable to locate Qandil's name on the page alleging he was a member of the committee. Instead, Yasser El-Milwany was found to be consistently on the lists from 2003 until 2004 at the 120 spot.
The remaining members on the page correspond in both versions both in names and orders leaving no room for doubt.
The fake image was first posted by an account claiming to be the NDP's official twitter account. The NDP Twitter account congratulated Qandil on his new post and said it was proud one of its members had been named prime minister.
Despite the unlikelihood of real NDP supporters bragging about one of their members taking over such an important position, the image went viral with more than one activist sharing it as fact.
Qandil, who sports a beard but told Al-Jazeera in an interview last year that he did not belong to any Islamist parties or groups, was accused upon his appointment by many politicians and public figures of being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The prime minister is known for his religiosity, having four daughters all named after the prophet Muhammad's daughters and regularly leading his ministry staff in prayer. There is no evidence at all, however, that he is or ever was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Accusations of former regime ties are not as unfounded, however. Qandil worked in the irrigation and water resources ministry as the minister's office manager since from 1999 to 2005 during the Mubarak era, surviving two water ministers.
He served as head of the Nile Water Sector after that, a position entrusted only to men the president had faith in.
When he was appointed as minister by former Prime Minister Essam Sharaf last year, Qandil hired a former NDP policies committee member Mohamed Abdel-Motaleb as first deputy minister which led to protests against him by ministry employees.
A Facebook page set up by a group calling itself the shadow cabinet has also accused Qandil of counter-revolutionary views.
The group released a statement on Tuesday following Qandil's appointment, claiming to have met him during Sharaf's premiership in order to suggest water and Nile-related policies. He allegedly made anti-revolutionary comments during the meeting and accused protesters demonstrating by the Israeli embassy at the time of being “thugs and criminals.”


Clic here to read the story from its source.