New government must focus on efficiency

Margaret Azer, secretary-general of the Free Egyptians Party has urged Egypt's new government to remain neutral and focus on efficiency as opposed to political ideology. Speaking to Arab Today, the former al-Wafd Party member claimed that the ousted Muslim Brotherhood regime turned to serve its own interests instead of serving the people, identifying this as the main reason behind the division in Egyptian society.   Azer said that Egypt needs a number of experts to form a technocratic government which could run a civil state based on the rule of law. She argued that the Muslim Brotherhood should play no part in the new government, explaining that their participation could hinder national reconciliation. In terms of the the group's future, Azer urged Muslim Brotherhood leaders to accept Morsi's ouster if they seek to be part of Egypt's new political set-up. The Free Egyptians Party official rejected Western interpretations of the event on June 30 as a "military coup," instead referring to Morsi's ouster as a revolution which achieved the ambitions of the Egyptian people. "Egyptians stood against those who tried to change the identity of the Egyptian state and undermine its history," she asserted. Azer said that Egyptian authorities must learn from experiences since the January 2011 revolution, to make a real difference to people's lives. The politician explained that the constitutional declaration recently issued by interim President Adly Mansour includes several articles from the constitution drafted by the Muslim Brotherhood in 2012. "I call on the government to remove these articles, and correct the wrongs of the previous regime," she said. Azer also praised Egyptian women for playing their part during the June 30 protests.