Amr Moussa defends military’s rights

Amr Moussa, the head of the committee of 50, responsible for drafting the new constitution, denied on Wednesday any request by the military or any of its representatives in the 50 committee to give the military the right to appoint the minister of defense and to shield the position from civilian oversight.

Earlier this month, a leaked record released by pro-Muslim Brotherhood news wire Rasd, reported that in a conversation between Commander-in-Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Yasser Rizk, editor-in-chief of the privately-owned daily Al-Masry Al-Youm. Rasd reported that Sisi told Rizk that he fears being sacked from his position as defense minister if he runs in the upcoming presidential elections and loses.

However, both Al-Masry Al-Youm and military officials denied that this conversation took place, accusing the paper of fabricating the story. 

In this context, Moussa said that there are no concessions with the military over its status in the constitution. “Immunity is not granted to any person or position in the constitution. But at the end of the day all state entities have the right to defend their rights, and the military is among these entities,” Moussa said.

“All these entities seek to pressure the committee in order to get the best outcome for them in the constitutional draft,” Moussa said. Some judiciary bodies do that, for example, so why are people only talking about the military?”

The suspended 2012 Constitution gave the military the right to choose the minster of defense from among its officers. However, the committee of 50 are currently discussing this article, with military representatives maintaining that it is a fundamental right, while other members believe that the presidency should have the right to pick the minster even if the president has a civil background.