FJP calls for consensus government

The Freedom and Justice (FJP) party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt renewed calls for the formation of a national consensus government to replace the interim government headed by Kamal Ganzouri. The party issued a statement on Monday, copied to "Arabstoday", in which they criticised the Ganzouri government's performance, saying it failed to address the worsening economic and security crises. The FJP, which holds more than 40 per cent of seats in parliament explained that Egypt “continues to suffer from these worsening crises, which led to the continuous suffering of Egyptians who did not witness any change or improvement in living conditions despite a year after the revolution.” The FJP also cited the violent clashes between protesters and security forces in downtown Cairo, last of which followed the Port Said tragedy where 75 football fans were killed. “Perhaps this continued decline in the performance of the government makes the party emphasises the need for a government that reflects the choices of the Egyptian people, a government that works in harmony with people’s desire for reform and change,” the FJP added in their statement. FJP pointed out that the steps taken by the Minister of the Interior to purge the ministry of police officers loyal to the former Interior Minister Habib El-Adli and the dissolved state security apparatus, “does not reflect the state of anger sweeping the masses which consider the security performance as weak and deteriorating.” The statement said that increased crime rates and the spread of organised armed gangs and abductions supports the party's calls “for purging the Ministry of Interior, which requires the presence of radical solutions for the treatment of security problems.” They also demanded that “noble security leaders, who are keen on the security and stability of Egypt and the reform of the security system in earnest, to conduct the required purging as soon as possible.” In addition, the party rejected loans from the World Bank, and said: “There are many financial resources that can be relied upon before resorting to receiving foreign loans from the World Bank or any other institution.”