CAIRO: Presidential hopeful Amr Moussa proposed a plan to restore confidence and stave off further confusion and oppression in Egypt. In a statement emailed to al-Ahram, Moussa seeks to address “the huge gap between the expectations and hopes of the people who made the January 25 Revolution and what has actually been realized on the ground.” The former Secretary General of the Arab League cites delays and confusion as “increasingly typical” of decisions made by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), warning that if these characteristics become the norm, the revolution could fail altogether; Egypt might not emerge from this period as a democratic state. Moussa's plan calls for the trials of those accused of killing unarmed protesters and former regime officials accused of exploiting their positions for personal gain to proceed as soon as possible. Echoing Prime Minister Sharaf, Moussa suggests that all police officers who have been accused of harming protesters should be suspended from duty until an investigation has ascertained that they are innocent. This he argues, will help restore the people's confidence in the police. Other suggestions include setting out clear criteria for the selection of new governors – preferably by election, generally avoiding extending the transitional period, and perhaps paradoxically the formation of a transitional government that is supported by the revolution. Last Wednesday, Moussa criticized the SCAF and the delayed trials to reporters, saying that slow justice is injustice. He called for greater transparency in the process, pointing out that the trials represent a restoration of dignity for families of those killed in the revolution. At the same time, he reaffirmed his faith in the Egyptian justice system and in the impartiality of the judiciary. Interestingly enough, the presidential candidate's roadmap emerges four days after protesters have reoccupied Cairo's Tahrir Square to demand, among other things, speedy trials for Mubarak and regime officials as well as those accused of killing protesters, and the suspension of police officers accused of harming protesters. It is yet to be seen whether Moussa is offering any new perspectives to the ongoing dialogue about how the transitional period and the new government should be run. Meanwhile on Tuesday, activists filed a complaint with the Attorney General against Moussa, former Prime Minister Atef Ebeid, and former Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman for their roles in drafting and implementing the agreement to sell natural gas to Israel at below market prices. This accusation comes in addition to a complaint filed in June against Amr Moussa and the president of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport Mohamed Farghaly were accused of taking 330 million Egyptian Pounds and disregarding correct financial procedures for the academy, Bikya Masr reported earlier on Wednesday. Moussa denies involvement with the case. BM
