A record 64 MPs have decided to join the Egyptian parliament's Human Rights Committee, which parliament's deputy speaker Mahmoud El-Sherif says clearly reflects an increasing interest on the part of MPs in human rights issues.
The number of MPs looking to join the committee has risen from 38 in the first legislative session to 64 in the second.
“This committee also attracts a lot of attention from the media and this might be an additional attractive element for MPs to join,” said El-Sherif.
El-Sherif told reporters on Sunday that registration for membership in parliament's 25 committees – which began last Thursday – showed that the Human Rights Committee came on top.
He indicated that parliament's internal bylaws do not put a limit on the number of MPs in each committee.
“Each MP has the right to join two committees, but he or she is allowed to have complete voting powers in just one committee; their first priority one,” said El-Sherif.
Elections to the senior posts in parliament's committees opened on Sunday, with each MP allowed to elect one head, two deputies and one secretary-general for each committee. The results are expected to be declared Monday evening.
Registration for committee membership was held on Thursday, with each MP having the right to join two committees. The final lists of members in each committee will be reviewed by parliament in a plenary session on Sunday.
Unexpected development
Another unexpected development is that four MPs have decided to run for head of the Human Rights Committee.
These include the committee's deputy head Atef Makhaleef, independent MP and journalist Osama Sharshar, parliamentary spokesman of the Free Egyptians Party Alaa Abed, and head of the Conservatives Party Akmal Qortam.
The committee's former chairman, head of the liberal Reform and Development Party Anwar El-Sadat, has so far refused to stand for the position.
El-Sadat has directed sharp attacks against parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Al, accusing him of not doing enough to help the committee in improving human rights conditions in Egypt or standing up to foreign accusations in this respect.
He resigned as chairman of the committee on 30 August, stating that the committee still lacks the power or the authority to summon senior government officials, especially those affiliated with the interior ministry, to respond to abuse allegations.
However, El-Sadat has faced criticism that he exploited his position as chairman of the committee in the first session to serve the agenda of Western human rights organisations like Amnesty International and the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW).
MP and journalist Sharshar told Ahram Online that his position as an independent makes him more suited for the post of committee head than his party-affiliated counterparts.
"An independent MP can serve the interests of this committee, while those affiliated with political parties always take biased stances and serve the interests of their parties rather than those of the committee," said Sharshar.
Independent MP and the committee's current deputy chairman Makhaleef said he wants to become head in order to put the committee back on sound tracks.
“El-Sadat tried to hijack this committee to serve a foreign agenda, but I want it to serve a national agenda,” said Makhaleef.
Alaa Abed, the parliamentary spokesman of the Free Egyptians Party, said that his job as a lawyer requires him to address the grievances of citizens.
“I want to defend the rights of the oppressed and address injustice in this country,” said Abed.
“My view of human rights is not confined to dealing with complaints filed against the interior ministry such as those related to violations in prison cells and police stations, but also to those related to improving the everyday living conditions of citizens in crucial areas like education, and health,” said Abed.
Rumours are circling that Abed has received the support of the Support Egypt parliamentary bloc, and that Makhaleef may withdraw from the race to help Abed win the election.
Qortam, head of the Conservatives Party and a business oil tycoon, has also decided to run. Qortam was a major supporter of El-Sadat when he was head of the committee in the first session.
Qortam expressed fears that the increase in the number of MPs who want to join the committee does not reflect an interest in human rights issues, but rather a wish to direct the committee to serve government interests.
He recommended that the committee hold no more than 60 members, adding that the human rights situation in Egypt has become a serious cause.
“We should work on improving human rights conditions inside Egypt as well as forge strong contacts with foreign organisations rather than adopt a hostile attitude towards them,” Qortam said.
