President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Thursday that safeguarding the Egyptian state and its institutions is the responsibility of all Egyptians, men and women alike. He urged families to preserve the nation’s memory so that it is not lost or distorted by others through slander, lies and fabrication.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the graduation of a new batch from the Police Academy, Sisi said the armed forces and the civilian police are the two wings of the nation, each essential to the security and stability of the state at home and abroad against any threat.
Egypt’s national security rests on the two institutions, he said, and any attempt to target them is an attempt to target the stability of the state. He said all moves and attempts made since 2013 have aimed at the generations that did not witness the destruction Egypt suffered, and at defaming the armed forces and the police.
The president said Egypt would remain steadfast in the face of challenges. “The schemes facing Egypt are still continuing,” he said, stressing the need to confront them collectively.
Sisi congratulated the new graduates and thanked their families for giving their sons and daughters to help protect Egypt’s security and stability. “Today we congratulate the Egyptian families who play a great role and are real partners with state institutions for the sake of stability and security in Egypt,” he said.
He stressed that the armed forces and the police are the two wings of security in Egypt, and that national security rests mainly on their efforts, both inside and beyond the country’s borders, against any threat or danger. He called on everyone to protect the two wings of the nation from any attempt to target them with the aim of destroying Egypt.
“We must all be aware of the need to preserve the role of the armed forces and the police, particularly at a time when the state is expected to face more challenges, even as its resilience and capacity to succeed grow,” he said.
The president said protecting the state is not just a matter of looking after its institutions. The numbers working in the armed forces and the police are huge, he noted, and they have families, neighbours and friends. “So we must protect these two institutions, not only in terms of security but also in terms of awareness,” he said. People must understand that protecting them means understanding their role, he added, warning that if either institution were absent or hit by a major crisis, the Egyptian state would suffer greatly.
Sisi asked Egyptians to speak about the country’s history to ensure the national memory is not distorted or lost. He said some people were substituting “lies, fabrication and slander” for the truth in order to defame the army, the police and the whole state, and to take the place of Egypt’s sons and daughters. “I swear to you on that, and I will answer for it before God,” he said.
He urged the public to be alert and wary of what is being plotted against the state. God, he said, wanted people to see a living example for the world now, to compare for themselves and to ask why Egypt is being targeted. He stressed that Egypt will endure, standing on its feet through God and its people.
Closing his remarks, the president saluted and commended the graduates, expressing his happiness and pride in them. He urged them to look after themselves and their work, to be wary of anyone lying in wait for them, and to show patience and caution, because they represent a distinguished institution and must not let anyone damage it by any act. He called on families to be proud of their children and to pray for them and for Egypt.
