Egypt’s Justice Minister tendered his resignation on Wednesday following a barrage of criticism directed against him after he stated that custodial workers, garbage collectors, or their children should not join the ranks of the judiciary.
The state-owned Al-Ahram news portal confirmed that Judge Mahfouz Saber had officially submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb as result of the public outcry against him.
Saber has been subjected to a wave of condemnations, along with popular demands for his resignation, since he made several controversial statements on Sunday night, on the widely-viewed show ‘Al-Beit Beitak.’
In his live televised interview on the privately-owned TEN TV channel, Saber was asked if the son of a custodial worker could qualify to serve in the office of the prosecutor general. The then-minister replied, “No, not to this extent.”
Saber declared, “the son of a custodial worker will not become a judge, because the judge should hail from suitable origins for this work,” adding, “The judge need not hail from a very elevated social class, but he also should not be of lower class origins.”
According to Saber, “There is a suitable and respectable middle ground” from which the Egyptian judiciary aught to originate. The former minister claimed that he appreciates the role of custodial workers, yet their children are not suitable for employment in the judiciary, as they may be “prone to depression.”
Saber did not explain his reasoning as to why such individuals would be afflicted with depression, or unable to cope with the responsibilities of their position.
When the host, Ramy Radwan, asked the then-justice-minister if he felt that such statements entail social discrimination, Mahfouz responded, “It’s alright. They will find other suitable jobs for themselves.”
In response to Mahfouz’s statements, Shehata al-Muqadis, President of the Union of Garbage Collectors and Recyclers, issued a statement to media outlets on Monday. Maqdis advised Mahfouz to “refer to the national constitution, you’ll find that state professions are open to any individual.”
Muqadis stated that he wasn’t calling for the justice minister’s resignation, but called on him to recognize that the January 25 Revolution arose out of the demand for equality and justice. He added that the children of garbage collectors could be just as successful as the children of judges.
The Coalition of Revolutionary Forces issued also issued a statement on Monday demanding the justice minister’s resignation.
Their statement added that, “Saber’s statements run against the objective of social justice which the revolutions of January (25, 2011) and June (30, 2013) are founded upon."
Their statement added that Saber’s statements reveal “his discrimination and differentiation amongst the populace – without any legal basis.”
In a statement published on the privately-owned Al-Masry Al-Youm news website, Tamarod, the movement which was pivotal in ousting President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, described Saber’s comments as “provocative and prejudicial.”
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