Cairo: Egypt's ruling military council has warned it will not allow civilians to encroach on the armed forces' extensive business enterprises. The rare comments from the military about its secretive economic interests come as it faces increasing demands for public scrutiny.
Major-General Mahmoud Nasser, the Deputy Defence Minister for Financial Affairs and a member of the ruling military council, defended the military's economic establishment, saying it was in the public interest.
He said the generals have even lent the government money to prop up its failing finances during the turmoil that followed the popular uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak last year.
Public support
His comments, published in the local media on Wednesday, appeared aimed at winning public support in the face of unprecedented national scrutiny of the huge military economic sector.
The military has enjoyed near-autonomous power in Egypt for the last 60 years, providing all the country's leaders since the 1952 military coup that brought military officers to office.
Over that time, it expanded its business ventures that gained it huge perks and privileges such as large government construction contracts and almost guaranteed well-paid government jobs for its retired generals.
Shrouded in secrecy
In recent years, it built a massive economic empire that is shrouded in secrecy and, according to some estimates, accounts anywhere between 15 and for 40 per cent of the nation's GDP. The generals have never confirmed any figures.
The military council took over from Mubarak after his exit in February last year following a popular uprising. It has promised to transfer power to a civilian administration by July.
Leaders of the uprising have demanded civilian oversight of the military budget. The new parliament has promised to work toward realising that demand.
"We will fight for our projects, and it is a battle we won't give up on. We have sweated for 30 years, and we won't leave this for anyone to destroy," Nasser said.
Al Azhar withdraws
Al Azhar, the pre-eminent institute of Islamic learning, said yesterday it was withdrawing from a disputed panel dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood to draft a new constitution, following the example of liberals.
Al Azhar said in a statement that it was under-represented in the constituent assembly which the Islamist-majority parliament appointed to draft the new charter.
"Al Azhar announces that it will not participate in the panel," it said in a statement, because it was "not appropriately represented."
