EGYPT: Why I left Tamarod

November 19, 2013

Original statement in Arabic:  https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10201619630626770&id=1058712658

My testimony on Tamarod and why I defected them on June 24th

Ghada Muhammad Naguib

Perhaps my testimony is a bit late but friends have been urging me to speak out.

The beginning was when Ahmad Talaat who was member of Tamarod and an admin on the main page spoke to me about joining in Tamarod, so I agreed. It was my sole hope to get rid of Morsi who ruined the revolution.

Tamarod had no vision for June 30th or any plans after we collect signatures from people. There were two streams inside the movement and they had many disputes among themselves.

My first doubts about Tamarod began when we moved to another headquarter in some apartment which came out to be funded by some man called Mahmoud Samy; a businessman and a front face of Al Kherafi ( a Kuwaiti businessman who sent some lawyers to defend Mubarak during his trial). I had a fight with Shahin -one of the members- asking not to work in that headquarter, therefore we moved to another one: the National Association for Change’s.

Later, I started to feel we received orders from a higher authority which were obeyed by the four leading members in Tamarod at the same time other members refused them. I asked Hasan – one of the members- about some rumors I heard that there was some coordination between Tamarod and intelligences, I was surprised to know it was true and the coordinator was Diaa Rashwan – a famous Egyptian journalist.

What I discovered afterwards that it was not only Rashwan but also Hamdeen Sabahy – a previous presidency candidate during 2012 elections- that had a huge role in the whole movement. Later on, I learnt that Hasan had a meeting with Tahani Al Gebali – the vice president of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt.(* she is known to be an opponent to MB ruling in general)

Each time I learned such news, I had a debate with members and always had the same reply: “I did not know and I was under pressure.”

What added oil to fuel was a trip to Sharm Al Sheikh.(* a summer resort on the Red sea) I learnt that organizers of the meeting held there were Hussain Salem’s men – the right arm of Hosni Mubarak. There were some members who took part in the meeting. Muhammad Nassar – a member and was supposed to attend the meeting- called me and said he was not allowed to attend as the meeting was confidential!!!!!

Three days after the trip, 3 members –Mai, Heba & Muhammad Abdel Aziz- traveled again and they had tickets reserved for them by H. Salem’s men; they stayed there for 3 hours and came back to Cairo in the same day.

I had a strong fight with Muhammad Abdel Aziz , Mahmoud Badr, Hasan and Haikel (members in Tamarood) and when I asked them about such meetings, Mahmoud Badr ‘s reply came” I meet whoever I like to meet with.”

That was the beginning why I defected Tamarood because I found out that it was not as I imagined. It was not that as appeared “One bad guy’s show”, but rather a bunch of bad guys who were aware of what they were willingly doing and that they were not deceived or under pressure.

The names I mentioned have the right to reply. And two of the good people who left Tamarood too were: Mano Al Sharqawy and Ahmad Talaat who could also assert or refute my talk.
edited …but check urself

Source: revolution news