“My position vis-a-vis the current regime is clearly known as was my position vis-a-vis all regimes.” With this statement responded Hamdeen Sabbahi to a report published in Al-Masry Al-Youm about a meeting that he attended with other public figures at the residence of Major General Mohamed Youssef.
He starts to refute the report as being inaccurate and says:
It was not a political meeting that meant to support the regime or the political leadership as was published. It was a social gathering that my friend Major General Mohamed Youssef has been holding for a group of friends and dignitaries at his home, where it is normal to exchange views about issues of public and national interests. And like all the rest, I also expressed my views during the meeting.
Quoting me as saying that we should not allow Sisi to fail is true, but it was said in a broader context. For I will always be with any policy that upholds the goals of the Egyptian people and the great 25 January and 30 June revolutions. And I will always be against any policy that does not uphold the values and principles of those revolutions. This has been my position vis-a-vis any regime.
In my opinion, which I have expressed on many occasions and also during that meeting, there are many things going on in Egypt now that deserve support and encouragement. But there are other things that should be criticized and warned of because they raise concerns about the future of the nation. I will always voice such concerns because I belong to the people and to their great revolutions.
I proposed at the meeting to build a wide national and political bloc of the supporters of both revolutions from political parties, social forces, national figures and young people whose principal goal is to adopt issues of the homeland and devise policies that meet the goals of the revolutions so as to regain the role of national and political forces in the heart of the community. Perhaps the attempt to crystallize the Democratic Current as a political alliance is a nucleus for this.
Considering the social nature of the meeting and the many speakers and varying perspectives, it becomes obvious that it does not aim to reach decisions as much as it intends to express awareness of the restrictions on freedoms, the burden of economic reform on the poor, especially the farmers and the workers, the absence of serious policies to fight corruption and the security and not political solutions in dealing with university students, let alone the parliamentary elections and the risks surrounding Egypt, especially in Libya.
This is a clarification to inform the public of facts. For at this stage, we need to complete the goals of the revolutions, correct any errors and achieve freedom, social justice, human dignity and national independence.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
