Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

Under such a critical atmosphere which is full of tensions and worries on the local, regional and international levels and under a complete absence of a national reconciliation process with a flagrant relapse in democratization, democracy and freedom, the constitutional amendments on 34 articles were drafted, announced, and even approved unilaterally, giving a blind eye to the popular consensus, the will of the nation whose citizens are facing economic, health and social problems and suffer from tyranny, corruption and the domination of one single party that does not represent the Egyptians, and that always seeks an everlasting power to alleviate the whims and interests of a few number of individuals.
 
Muslim Brotherhood MPs used all mechanisms available in the People"s Assembly although they reject the proposed amendments in principle, and participated in the discussions, and introduced suggestions in cooperation with other opposition and independent MPs.
 
In spite of the serious and substantial flaws in these amendments, which are criticized by law professors, intellectuals, various media outlets and the public opinion…in spite of this, the regime insisted on its one-sided wording and suggestions to these articles, to produce deformed, defective and contradictory articles that does not achieve any interest or lead to any progress or development, in addition to escalating tensions on the social and political levels.
 
Our MPs- Muslim Brotherhood MPs- rejected, along with other independent and opposition MPs, these amendments and they declared this rejection by all means.
 
Holding the referendum earlier than its fixed date aims actually at preventing the opposition from explaining the reasons for its rejection to these deformed amendments which can be considered a flagrant constitutional coup and a violation to personal freedoms guaranteed by all previous constitutions; these amendments will block a real and full judicial supervision over the elections and referendums and will give one person, the president, more autocratic powers.
 
Due to all these aforementioned circumstances, we declare our boycott to this referendum and call on all Egyptians to boycott it for the public interest, for lacking any guarantee that it will be held fairly, to remain in line with attitudes of most political powers, parties and civil society institutions, knowing very well that these repressive exercises will only increase the nation’s sense of unity and belief in its religion and support to the Islamic project. We hope that this boycott will serve as a wakeup-call that may make every one concerned take care of the public interest to meet people’s aspirations for rightness, justice and freedom.
 
 
We also call on all honest powers in Egypt to close ranks to face the consequences of the post-constitutional amendments period.
 
May Allah protect Egypt against all evils, ”And God has full power and control over His affairs, but most among mankind know it not” (Youssef: from verse 21).
 

The Muslim Brotherhood
 
Cairo on: 2 Rabi I 1428 (Hijri)
   21 March 2007