Presidential hopeful Amr Moussa concluded a campaign rally in Mallawy city, south of Minya, less than half an hour after its beginning on Tuesday, as the April 6 Youth Movement fiercely attacked him.
“While the movement’s members were chanting against Moussa and citizens were joining us outside the rally, we distributed flyers among passers-by to explain why we reject Amr Moussa as president,” Alaa Kabawi, the movement’s coordinator said.
Movement members wrote, “No to remnants” on the sidewalks and walls around the area where the rally was being held.
Moussa held a rally at on Monday evening in the Abu Felio area in Minya. Moussa arrived to the rally late, citing bad weather conditions, and a limited number of citizens attended.
Upper Egypt governorates were marginalized many years ago, he said, adding that he will bring a new era to Upper Egypt if he becomes president. He promised to establish banks for farmers and cancel development banks, which he says are the first steps toward assisting Egyptian farmers and achieving real agricultural development.
“All presidential hopefuls are competing for the post without understanding what’s happening in Egypt and how to fix it,” he said adding that Egypt should cooperate with other countries on certain projects, as long as there is no foreign interference in Egyptian internal affairs.
“It is in the interest of many of the countries in the Arab region and the world that Egypt becomes strong, as Arab stability cannot be achieved unless Egypt restores its strength,” he said.
He said that he would extend health and social insurance coverage to all poor people and implement unemployment payments of half of the minimum wage for one year if elected president. He also proposed a job training program for the youth and said he would resolve problems with workers’ pensions.
Moussa said that Egypt is not a poor country but has been badly managed by former regimes. He estimated that the state’s bank accounts and frozen investments total LE1 trillion in untapped funds.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
