Morsi's decree turns him from a hero to villain
Source: Agencies |
November 24, 2012, Saturday
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EGYPTIAN President Mohammed Morsi's decree exempting all his decisions from legal challenge until a new parliament was elected caused fury amongst his opponents yesterday who accused him of being the new Hosni Mubarak and hijacking the revolution.
Thousands of chanting protesters packed Tahrir Square, the heart of the 2011 anti-Mubarak uprising, demanding Morsi quit and accusing him of launching a "coup." There were violent protests in Alexandria, Port Said and Suez.
Morsi's aides said the presidential decree was to speed up a protracted transition that has been hindered by legal obstacles but Morsi's rivals were quick to condemn him as a new autocratic pharaoh who wanted to impose his Islamist vision on Egypt.
"I am for all Egyptians. I will not be biased against any son of Egypt," Morsi said on a stage outside the presidential palace, adding that he was working for social and economic stability and the rotation of power.
"Opposition in Egypt does not worry me, but it has to be real and strong," he said, in response to his critics.
Buoyed by accolades from around the world for mediating a truce between Hamas and Israel, Morsi on Thursday ordered that an Islamist-dominated assembly writing the new constitution could not be dissolved by legal challenges.
"Morsi a 'temporary' dictator" was the headline in the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm.
Morsi, an Islamist whose roots are in the Muslim Brotherhood, also gave himself sweeping powers that allowed him to sack the unpopular general prosecutor and opened the door for a retrial for Mubarak and his aides.
The president's decree said any decrees he issued while no parliament sat could not be challenged, moves that consolidated his powers but look set to polarize Egypt further, threatening more turbulence in a nation at the heart of the Arab Spring.
The turmoil has weighed heavily on Egypt's faltering economy that was thrown a lifeline this week when a preliminary deal was reached with the International Monetary Fund for a US$4.8 billion loan. But it also means unpopular economic measures.
"The people want to bring down the regime," shouted protesters in Tahrir, echoing one of the chants that was used in the uprising that forced Mubarak to step down.
Ransacked office
In Alexandria, north of Cairo, protesters ransacked an office of the Brotherhood's political party, burning books and chairs in the streets. Supporters of Morsi and opponents clashed elsewhere in the city, leaving 12 injured.
A party building was also attacked by stone-throwing protesters in Port Said, and demonstrators in Suez threw petrol bombs that burned banners outside the building.
"The decree is basically a coup on state institutions and the rule of law that is likely to undermine the revolution and the transition to democracy," Mervat Ahmed, an independent activist in Tahrir, said. "I worry Morsi will be another dictator like the one before him."
Thousands of chanting protesters packed Tahrir Square, the heart of the 2011 anti-Mubarak uprising, demanding Morsi quit and accusing him of launching a "coup." There were violent protests in Alexandria, Port Said and Suez.
Morsi's aides said the presidential decree was to speed up a protracted transition that has been hindered by legal obstacles but Morsi's rivals were quick to condemn him as a new autocratic pharaoh who wanted to impose his Islamist vision on Egypt.
"I am for all Egyptians. I will not be biased against any son of Egypt," Morsi said on a stage outside the presidential palace, adding that he was working for social and economic stability and the rotation of power.
"Opposition in Egypt does not worry me, but it has to be real and strong," he said, in response to his critics.
Buoyed by accolades from around the world for mediating a truce between Hamas and Israel, Morsi on Thursday ordered that an Islamist-dominated assembly writing the new constitution could not be dissolved by legal challenges.
"Morsi a 'temporary' dictator" was the headline in the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm.
Morsi, an Islamist whose roots are in the Muslim Brotherhood, also gave himself sweeping powers that allowed him to sack the unpopular general prosecutor and opened the door for a retrial for Mubarak and his aides.
The president's decree said any decrees he issued while no parliament sat could not be challenged, moves that consolidated his powers but look set to polarize Egypt further, threatening more turbulence in a nation at the heart of the Arab Spring.
The turmoil has weighed heavily on Egypt's faltering economy that was thrown a lifeline this week when a preliminary deal was reached with the International Monetary Fund for a US$4.8 billion loan. But it also means unpopular economic measures.
"The people want to bring down the regime," shouted protesters in Tahrir, echoing one of the chants that was used in the uprising that forced Mubarak to step down.
Ransacked office
In Alexandria, north of Cairo, protesters ransacked an office of the Brotherhood's political party, burning books and chairs in the streets. Supporters of Morsi and opponents clashed elsewhere in the city, leaving 12 injured.
A party building was also attacked by stone-throwing protesters in Port Said, and demonstrators in Suez threw petrol bombs that burned banners outside the building.
"The decree is basically a coup on state institutions and the rule of law that is likely to undermine the revolution and the transition to democracy," Mervat Ahmed, an independent activist in Tahrir, said. "I worry Morsi will be another dictator like the one before him."
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