EGYPT - THE EVACUATION OF MALAYSIANS BEGINS

I watched the people’s protest raging in Egypt live via internet daily to witness a new scenario developing i.e. a battle between pro Mubarak and anti Mubarak forces also known as pro democracy forces. It has become now become obvious that the Egyptian police are supporting the pro Mubarak forces, while the military has so far remained neutral, acting as a wedge between the two opposing forces.

World leaders especially US President, UN Secretary General, British PM and Turkey PM has quite openly declared their position that the besieged Mubarak has to listen to the voices of the people to handover the Presidency. US Secretary of State Clinton in more direct tone says that “transition of power must happen now”. Anything less is unacceptable to the protestors that had claimed Mubarak’s thirty odd years in power has heightened corruption and emboldened an abusive police force.
Mubarak remained obstinate to calls for his resignation and vowed that he will only leave at the end of his term in September.

Mubarak’s wife is said to have flown out of Egypt to a safe sanctuary in London, and what is dumped in her suite cases remains a mystery. I wonder why Mubarak’s wife did not seek sanctuary in the US that sees Egypt to be its second biggest Arab ally in the region, second only to Israel.

The concern of a wider people’s protest emerging outside the borders of Egypt seems fairly imminent. Yemen’s President who has reign the country for about the same time as Mubarak is also facing a growing people’s protest for about a similar reason. In Jordan, King Abdullah has appointed a new Prime Minister who was formally a military General to the dislike of the people. Israel that sees Mubarak as a moderate and trusted Arab neighbor is edgy over the future of their relations with Egypt should Mubarak relinquished the Presidency. Israel is also concern about a growing Iranian support for the people’s protest and the likelihood that a post Mubarak regime will mimic an Iranian type regime.

Back home, I am yet to hear our leaders stand towards the people’s protest in Egypt. The foreign ministry has remained mute. I suppose they are too busy solving the exodus of Malaysian students to the safety of home, which I thought came a bit too late. It was only when the US had announced that they are dispatching planes to evacuate their citizens home, that we began planning our evacuation plans. I think it is the failure of our Embassy in Egypt to evaluate the situation as it develops and to present precautionary and advisory actions for the authorities to act back home.

I suppose the floods must have given our authorities greater priority over events in Egypt.


CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION