Dr. Morsi: We Have a Great Deal of Faith in the People

Dr. Morsi: We Have a Great Deal of Faith in the People

Dr. Mohamed Morsi, candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) for the presidency, said that the party and the group have great confidence in the Egyptian people’s awareness and enlightenment, and that they shall willingly and jealously rally around the Renaissance Project.

Dr. Morsi paid tribute to the martyrs of Egypt and its great revolution, affirming that they were the cause of change in Egypt and the current transformation.

In an interview with the satellite TV channel “Al Jazeera Mubashir Misr (Live – Egypt)”, Wednesday 18 April, Dr. Morsi said: “We fielded our candidate for the Presidency; and the people have the choice; they have to make their decision. We are confident that they will make the correct choice. We have faith in the people’s awareness and intelligence. Our candidate is the best suited and most capable to shoulder the responsibility and advance the homeland on its march towards stability, security, justice and prosperity".

He further added that Mohamed Morsi is the candidate chosen by the institutions of the Brotherhood and the FJP, and therefore the group and party members will give him their wholehearted backing and help carry this responsibility within the community.

The FJP Chairman said that Egyptian society, in the recent parliamentary elections, chose the FJP, giving it the majority of the vote. He pointed out that also in elections of student unions, trade unions and university presidents, the same positive pattern was clearly repeated.

Dr. Morsi explained that Egyptians are in fact choosing an approach, an establishment, a project and a platform, rather than individual persons.

“The people are perfectly capable of sifting, recognizing, and discerning truth from untruth. They did just that in the recent elections. Now, the group and the FJP offer the people their experience, their history and their project, completely confident in their decision, and accept it beforehand, for the nation is the source of authority.

“The Renaissance Project has for long been the Muslim Brotherhood’s platform, and has been developed on scientific and realistic, practical basis. Within the Brotherhood, we all own this project, not any particular individual. 

“Needless to say, currently, the candidate of the FJP and the Muslim Brotherhood is the only contender who offers a clearly Islamic project.”

On rumors, rants and reviling speculations about the selection process within the group or the FJP, Dr. Morsi said: "We have no hawks and doves. The basic principle is to cooperate in virtue, righteousness and piety, to do what is good and beneficial for the homeland the people.

“The responsibility is tremendous; but is made light with the assistance of all the Muslim Brotherhood and members of the FJP. There are also many people who help us out of their own goodness and kindness."

The Brotherhood’s presidential candidate added that rumors circulating about that issue are inaccurate conjectures, either due to ignorance of the institutions of the Muslim Brotherhood and the FJP, or for political enmity.

“We are all committed to the institution decisions. The Brotherhood’s Shura Council is the group’s own elected parliament. Likewise, the National Committee is the FJP’s own parliament.

“These institutions issue decisions based on organizational actions and operations, on a stable institutional rules and regulations, and agreement on the project.”

The Chairman of the FJP further explained that the decision to run for the Presidency was made after deep analysis of the situation, seeking Egypt’s best interests above all else, with full realization of the great responsibility.

“As an integral part of this homeland and the revolution, we seek to fulfill the demands of the revolution and the aspirations of the Egyptian people, to get all hues of society to unite and close ranks, putting the country’s interests above narrow personal or factional gains. We cannot lose sight of the dangers threatening the revolution.”

Dr. Morsi pointed out that the Brotherhood’s first decision on the Presidency was made on the 10th of February 2011, based on the situation as it stood at the time.

However, he went on, with significant changes and developments in the political climate and challenges, with evident and desperate attempts by dubious parties to hijack or derail the revolution, the Brotherhood’s decision changed, based on new requirements and realities.

“Whilst we respect everybody’s right to race for the Presidency, we do hope and seek that Egypt’s next President will be from our organization, because we have a comprehensive rejuvenations project, with a moderate Islamic reference familiar to everyone.

“Moreover, we have numerous cadres and broad experience. If there is no agreement on one Islamist candidate, it does not follow that there is a conflict or a rift amongst us, but competition between several projects.”

Regarding opponents accusing the Brotherhood and its political wing of abandoning the revolution and Tahrir Square, Dr. Morsi said: “We never abandoned the revolution and will never do.

“But we weigh up situations according to existing realities on the ground at any given time. We do not differ, with other revolutionaries, on goals or objectives, although sometimes we do differ in our assessments and analysis of situations. 

“In any event, we were always at the heart of all major million-man marches, like the demonstration against the so-called Selmi Initiative. We never stopped facing up to the dangers that threatened the revolution.

“We as well as all the national and political forces, groups and movements have sufficient awareness and intelligence to accurately weigh up situations at any given time."

Further, Dr. Morsi regretted the many obstacles and stumbling stones thrown in the path of Parliament, designed to crush or frustrate its effective action in the street.

Moreover, the presidential candidate mentioned that the decision to field a candidate for the presidency was in part a response to the siege ferociously imposed on Parliament to almost completely paralyze its action.

The FJP Chairman stressed that the party declared its rejection of the government, after successive crises hit the country, both abroad and at home.

He stressed that respect for the will of the Egyptians and democracy is one of the important principles in the coming phase of Egypt’s peaceful transformation.

On the contrived crisis of the Constituent Assembly tasked with drawing up the country’s new constitution, Dr. Morsi confirmed that the Assembly belongs to Parliament, and that the Muslim Brotherhood plays no part in it.

“We have the majority in Parliament, according to the principles of democracy. The dispute is all about proportions of representation. It goes without saying: we cannot appease everyone with regard to these proportions, because the number of members in the Assembly is only one hundred.”

Dr. Morsi asked: "Do we have to change the popular will? The people chose us in trade unions, both Houses of Parliament  and in every free and fair election we ran. What should we do? We believe the honorable thing is to accept the mandate and bravely shoulder the tremendous responsibility".

Dr. Morsi further rejected the idea of Mubarak-era holdovers, chums and cronies joining the race for Egypt’s head of State. He stressed that it is not right for senior officials of the corrupt former regime to seek power so soon when the people have just rose against them in the great revolution.

“It is not right for such remnants to come forward to replicate the old regime, because this is against the goals of the revolution, against society, and against the flow of history.

“Now, the people are watching the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces’ latest maneuvers against the disenfranchisement law modification approved by Parliament to isolate Mubarak-era remnants, including Ahmed Shafiq.”