Al-Ahram Weekly | Economy | Why the hurry?

		Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 28 Dec. 2000 - 3 Jan. 2001 Issue No.514
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Current issue \| Previous issue \| Site map

Why the hurry?
By Mona El-Fiqi
Members of the Cairo Chamber of Commerce are contesting the decree issued recently by Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Hassan Khedr concerning its elections.
The minister had announced three weeks ago that the Cairo Chamber of Commerce's (CCC) elections will be held on 21 January 2001. Members of the board are contesting the legality of this decision because, in the words of CCC chairman Abdel-Alim Nawara, "it contradicts the process for elections stipulated by the law for the Federation of Chambers of Commerce [No 189 for the year 1951]." Nawara said that the ministry has not issued an explanation concerning why it felt the need to make an exception to the procedures for holding early elections.
Explaining the CCC's objections, Helal Sheta, deputy chairman of the CCC said that the minister's decision does not meet the legal requirement for an interim period of 100 days between the calling and convening elections.
CCC members took their case last week to the State Council, submitting an appeal to have the decree overturned.
Elections were expected to have been held this fall but delayed to September 2001 because of People's Assembly elections in October and November. This decision to hold CCC elections in September 2001 was ratified by parliament, a procedure Sheta says should have been observed by the minister.
In addition to pushing CCC members to prepare for elections in a short period of time, the decree has raised their ire concerning what they view as arbitrary treatment by the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade. "We are volunteers -- not government employees. We are not obliged to follow instructions without understanding [the reasons behind them]," Sheta said, explaining that he would have preferred that ministry officials discuss the matter with the CCC prior to issuing the decree.
Sources close to the chamber say that they believe the sudden decision to be directed at an early disbandment of the current chamber's board, which has not always been in agreement with the minister on internal trade policies.
Currently, an interim board, appointed by the ministry, is running the affairs of the CCC. This board was put in place in January 2000 as a result of a successful law suit seeking the dissolution of the board which was elected in 1996. Launched by businessman Mustafa Ali, the suit contended that the 1996 elections were invalid on procedural grounds.
The board is normally made up of 20 members, 10 of whom are elected while the remainder are appointed by the Minister of Supply and Internal Trade.

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