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

EGYPT - A NATION IN TURMOIL

Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak hold to office is slipping steadily. The week long people’s protest is gaining momentum against his more than two decades of virtual power. The people have suddenly awakened. Even the country’s judges have joined the protest. Mubarak’s entire cabinet has resigned and he has appointed the country’s Intelligence Chief Omar Sulaiman as Vice President, an appointment which hitherto does not exist. A new Prime Minister too has been appointed.

Egypt has a standing army of five hundred thousand. It was reported that more than three hundred thousand soldiers has been deployed to quell the protest, and 150 protestors were reported to have died. Some in the army are said to have ignored orders to deal with the rioters; a scene similar to the protest in Tunisia recently.

Demonstrations in support of the protestors are gaining momentum throughout the world, including Iran and the US. Protests have spread to Alexandria and the famous tourist resort of Sharm El Sheikh. Cairo, especially around Tahrir Square is the center of the people’s protest where thousands remained entrenched. Egyptian air force jet planes have flown low over Tahrir Square to intimidate and scare the protestors, but the protestors remained resolved and resolute in their protest against Mubarak.

Saudi Arabia has pronounced its support for Mubarak, but most western leaders have supported US President Obama’s call to Mubarak that ‘reshuffling of the government is not enough’. Is this Obama’s way of saying that he has had enough of Mubarak, and that it is high time that Mubarak relinquish the Presidency?

The US government and Turkey has advised its citizens residing in Egypt to return home. US and Turkey has send planes into Egypt to extricate its citizens. There are many Malaysians, especially students in studying in Egypt’s renowned universities. What will be the fate of these students? Are they not to be flown out by our RMAF flights?

How long more can Mubarak remain in power? Is this the end of the road for Mubarak? My guess is that two decades of power is enough. Mubarak’s departure is inevitable. He should leave now and follow the route that the Tunisian former President and the Shah of Iran had taken.

I call upon all like-minded Malaysians to take stock of what is happening to Egypt today, and to be conscious of the fact that it is the people that decide the government and the fate of the nation. No government can survive if the people’s faith and trust in them is compromised.


CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION