Egypt’s speaker of parliament Ali Abdel Aal has warned lawmakers against speaking to the media about the government’s monetary policy or the dollar exchange rate, threatening to take disciplinary action against those who do. “Constructive criticism is accepted but not when it is in the context of destruction,” he said, according to Parlmany. He added that there is “a systematic campaign abroad to destroy the country’s constitutional institutions,” saying that some members of parliament have received training in how to criticize the country’s fiscal policies. “Some may say that this is a breach of freedom of expression but freedom of expression should be responsible and harming the interests of the state is not seen as freedom of expression,” he continued. “Some have been keen to appear on television shows to discuss the state’s monetary policy, an issue which leads to harmful consequences,” speaker Abdel Aal said. “Therefore all parliament members must refrain from speaking about the state’s monetary policy as it could expose it [the country] to harmful ramifications.” He warned that parliamentarians who violate his instructions would be referred to the parliament’s ethics committee. Abdel Aal’s comments have stirred controversy,…
Egypt’s Parliamentary Speaker Stirs Controversy Over Threats Against MPs Discussing Monetary Policy
May 24, 2016
