Controversy proliferated among Egyptian thinkers after a conference Tuesday that discussed Ali el-Selmy's document aiming to draft supra-constitutional principles. A number of participants strongly rejected many articles, particularly Article 9. The article in question provides the Egyptian Armed Forces full authority to deal with affairs related to the military, such as its budget or relevant legislation. Potential presidential candidate Mohamed el-Baradei criticized the document, describing it as distorted. "Withdraw the distorted constitutional principles,” the former head of the UN's atomic energy agency posted on Twitter. “We want a neutral committee to draft the main principles. Our priority should be to unify ourselves, not to increase chaos." Baradei said that the military institution is not another state, adding, "there is a difference between civil democracy and military guardianship." Chairman of al-Wasat Party, Aboul Ela Mady, said that they withdrew from the meeting because they found a many members of the dissolved National Democratic Party (NDP) present. He criticized the document as withdrawing legitimacy from the people and their representatives and giving it to the military council. He added they agreed to join the meeting after the Minister of Tourism pledged that NDP members would not attend. Mady added that he was surprised that the meeting was to discuss supra-constitutional principles, a matter strongly refused by al-Wasat and other political and national powers. Hafez Abou Seda, head of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, criticized the attendance of NDP members, while members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) were absent. He also criticized preventing those who spoke during the conference from discussing the articles of the draft resolution. Abou Seda told Youm7 that the priority was to achieve agreement among Egypt's political powers about the document before holding such a conference. He said the document decided the formation of committee that will draft Egypt's new constitution. He said the document provided the members of People's Assembly with only 20 seats in the committee, although they should make up 50 percent of its seats to represent different forces in Egyptian society. He said that the document should express Egypt's commitment to international treaties to protect social and economic human rights. He underlined the need to announce that the economic system of the country aims to achieve social and economic justice, in response to the demands of the January 25 Revolution. He criticized what the document said about achieving economic prosperity, not considering such an objective as a priority. Political activist Amr Hamzawy said that all budgets, including the military's, should be subject to parliamentary authority to implement rule of law. He warned that it is not a suitable time to make a new polarizing moment in Egypt's political life. He added that different political powers should focus on the upcoming parliamentary elections.
