Archive for Gamal Heshmat

FJP invites opposition to comprehensive dialogue over future

by admin
December 24th, 2012

The Freedom and Justice Party on Sunday invited opposition forces, led by the National Salvation Front, to an unconditional comprehensive dialogue over how to approach Egypt’s problems in the coming months, less than a day after preliminary results indicated that the draft constitution had been approved.

“We can talk now that the reasons pressuring the opposition to refuse [the constitution] have gone,” Ibrahim Abu Ouf, an FJP member, told Turkish-run Anadolu Agency.

Ouf added that there would be laws complementary to the constitution that need national consensus, such as the Judicial Authority Law, the Elections Law, the Shura Council Law and the Demonstrations Law.

FJP member Gamal Heshmat said the dialogue should have an agenda that serves as a springboard for the coming phase.

Mohamed al-Beltagy, another FJP member, said the Muslim Brotherhood and National Salvation Front will find consensus in the coming months, especially pertaining to certain constitutional amendments.

“Let us have this Friday be a day of national reconciliation and give each other flowers,” he suggested.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Islamists demand Morsy take decisive action against demonstrators

by admin
November 21st, 2012

Islamist forces have demanded that President Mohamed Morsy and Prime Minister Hesham Qandil take decisive action against demonstrators on Mohamed Mahmoud Street, accusing them of aiming to spread chaos in the country.

“We need to know which political current they come from,” said Gamal Heshmat of the Freedom and Justice Party. “No movement has said they were associated with the protests.”

“They are not the revolutionaries we know,” he added. “The revolutionaries performed the prayers in the square, they do not.”

“The street demonstrations coinciding with the problems raised around the Constituent Assembly tell us something,” he said.

“If protesters want retribution for those who were killed on Mohamed Mahmoud Street last year, they should demonstrate outside the public prosecutor’s office,” he added. “He did not provide sufficient evidence to incriminate the killers.”

“And when President Morsy fired him, certain political forces demanding retribution for the martyrs defended him.”

Nour Party Secretary General Galal al-Morra urged demonstrators to protest peacefully, and called for punishing “aggressors against state institutions, be they revolutionaries or police.”

He stressed the importance of taking decisive action against abuses.

He accused the media, the remnants of the former regime, certain judges and the leaders of the national security and intelligence services of masterminding these events to disrupt the process of reform.

“The president should intervene to stop the clashes,” he said. “And the people will support him.”

Alaa Abul Nasr, secretary general of Jama’a al-Islamiya’s Construction and Development Party, called on the government to take legal action against the demonstrators.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Brotherhood to join ‘Power Handover’ protest Friday

by admin
June 28th, 2012

The Muslim Brotherhood said it plans to take part in the "Power Handover" protest planned for Friday alongside other political and revolutionary forces.

Repeating the group's previous assertions, Brotherhood Secretary General Mahmoud Hussein said the Tahrir Square sit-in will last until revolution demands are met.

“We will stay in Tahrir until demands of canceling the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration and the Parliament dissolution are fulfilled,” Freedom and Justice Party member Gamal Heshmat said.

Heshmat told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the party is awaiting an administrative court decision regarding an appeal against the dissolution of the People's Assembly. He described the dissolution decision as a political-judicial battle and said the assembly was convened following integral elections that expressed free popular will.

The Supreme Constitutional Court, whose decisions cannot be appealed, ruled earlier this month that a law governing parliamentary elections was unconstitutional.

Ali Khafagy, secretary general of the FJP’s Youth Committee, said marches would be held from Istiqama and Mostafa Mahmoud mosques in Mohandiseen on Friday at 5 pm, in coordination with revolutionary forces.

There will be one platform for all political forces, he said, adding that President-elect Mohamed Morsy’s win will be celebrated on Saturday, when he is expected to be sworn in. There will also be demonstrations Saturday to celebrate the launch of the Brotherhood's "Renaissance Project," a program that was part of Morsy's electoral platform.

The 25 January Revolution Board of Trustees, formed by prominent activists who took part in the revolution, called for protests against restrictions the ruling military council has set on the president's powers. Several parties and groups have also said they would participate.

Protesters have been gathering in Tahrir Square for around 10 days against the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration and the dissolution of the People’s Assembly.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)