CAIRO, June 11, 2018 (MENA) - Egypt's House of Representatives turned down on Monday a suggestion by MP Moustafa el Bakri to extend the mandatory retirement age of journalists to 65. In a plenary session by the parliament to debate Article 5 of the National Press Authority (NPA) Bill, Bakri suggested treating journalists like judges and extend their mandatory retirement age to 65. He said each journalist should be able to work freely without any restrictions and the extension of his retirement age should not be subjected to the authority of the chairman of the national institution where he/she is working but it should be mandatory. But head of the Culture and Media Committee of the Parliament Osama Heikal said the text of the National Press Authority (NPA) bill was flexible as regards this article as it gave the National Press Authority and not the board chairman the power to extend the retirement age of journalists it deems of special qualifications. MENA to be excluded from Article 50 Egypt's House of Representatives agreed on Monday to amend Article no. 50 of the National Press Authority in a way that would allow the person in charge of MENA to retain the two posts of editor-in-chief and board chairman. In a plenary session, the parliament said the posts of editor-in-chief and board chairman will be separated in any national press institution except for the Middle East News Agency (MENA) due to its special nature. This is not an exception but this amendment is necessary due to the special nature of Egypt's sole news agency, parliament speaker Ali Abel Aal said. The amendment came upon a suggestion of MP Moustafa Bakri who made clear that it is very hard to separate between the posts of editor in chief and board chairman in the Middle East News Agency due to its special nature. Separating the two posts would not serve the agency, he added. But head of the Culture and Media Committee at the parliament Ossama Heikal opined that giving an exception to MENA would be followed by other exceptions to other press institutions. At the end, Abel Aal agreed to amend Article no. 50 of the National Press Authority bill as follows: "The posts of editor-in-chief and board chairman will be separated in any national institution with taking into consideration the special nature of the Middle East News Agency.
