Egyptian President Morsi’s curfew sparks controversy

Psychologist says Morsi is ‘losing control’ Cairo – Akram Ali Decisions by Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi to set a curfew and declare a state of emergency in the provinces of Suez, Port Said and Ismailia have sparked controversy on the country's political scene . In an address to the nation Monday evening Morsi invited the heads of 11 parties and four former presidential candidates to attend a dialogue meeting with him on Monday at Etahadyah Presidential Palace.
The deputy head of Egypt's State Council Mahmoud Al Attar, told Arabstoday: "I believe this is a series step aimed at safeguarding a part of the country which houses some critical institutions, the Suez Canal most importantly."
Demanding measures to monitor all communications and "reveal secret meetings aimed at promoting chaos, especially in the Canal area," Al Attar said "the state of emergency allows the president to restrict individuals' freedom and movement at certain hours and apprehend suspects and outlaws." Al Attar described Morsi's invitation to dialogue as "the opposition's last chance to save Egypt."
Ali el-Samman, president of the International Union for Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue and Peace Education said: "President Mohammed Morsi made the right the decision because firmness is required when people are being killed. It is a priority."
Ahmed el-Darrag, a member of opposition bloc the National Salvation Front (NSF) meanwhile said: "President Morsi did not give a straight answer about what is going on and the people who were killed all over Egypt. He declared a state of emergency and a curfew under the pretext of controlling the situation after letting it develop for three days."
"The idea of dialogue would be absurd if the point is dialogue for the sake of dialogue. It would be meaningless unless there is a clear and defined framework," he said.
Another member of the NSF, Azazi Ali Azazi, said Morsi's decisions turned the Canal cities into "prisons." He also slammed the president's dialogue initiative, saying "The president's invitation to national dialogue is not serious. We have been to these dialogue sessions have found no outcomes that satisfy both parties. All we have found is a president who listens only to himself and his administration."
However, he said the NSF is yet to decide whether it will take part in the dialogue on Monday. The matter is set to be decided at emergency meeting of the opposition collective.
Commenting on the loud and threatening tone that Morsi used in his television address on Sunday, psychologist Mohammed El-Mahdi told Arabstoday: "President Mohammed Morsi is threatening the public in his address, which indicates that he is in a critical position and is concerned and anxious." The psychologist "the weakness of Morsi's position" was also behind the unusually terse nature of the address.  El-Mahdi also denied that Morsi's finger-wagging gestures signified a warning or a threat, saying they instead denoted "his lack of control over the situation, reaffirmed by the loud tone, the absence of his usual self-restraint and the unusual terseness."