Rage in Egypt as Mubarak hangs on
Demonstrators react as they listen to Mubarak's speech in front of a big screen in Tahrir square, February 10, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Asmaa Waguih
CAIRO |
CAIRO (Reuters) - President Hosni Mubarak provoked rage on Egypt's streets on Thursday when he said he would hand over powers to his deputy but refused to step down after more than two weeks of protests demanding that he quit.
The armed forces high command had earlier issued "Communique No.1," declaring it was taking control of the nation in what some called a military coup seeking to end the turmoil under the 82-year-old former general, who has ruled for 30 years.
"Leave! Leave!" chanted hundreds of thousands who had gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square in anticipation that a televised address would be the moment their demands were met.
Instead, the former air force commander portrayed himself as a patriot and war hero overseeing an orderly transition until an election in September -- in which he said last week he would not stand. Mubarak praised young people who have stunned the Arab world with unprecedented rallies. He offered constitutional change and a bigger role for Vice President Omar Suleiman.
Waving shoes in the air in a dramatic Arab show of contempt, the crowds in central Cairo chanted: "Down, down Hosni Mubarak."
Asked if Mubarak would step down, an Egyptian official had told Reuters before the speech: "Most probably." But his information minister had said that would not be the case.
Joy turned to despair and then to anger.
Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace prize winner and retired U.N. diplomat who runs a liberal political movement, wrote on Twitter: "Egypt will explode. Army must save the country now."
DELEGATING POWERS
In a 20-minute address in which he said he would not bow to foreign pressure -- Washington has called on its old ally to make way quickly -- Mubarak said he would "delegate to the vice president of the republic the prerogatives of the president of the republic in a manner that is fixed by the constitution."
"It is not immediately clear what powers are being handed over," British Foreign Secretary William Hague told the BBC.
Suleiman, a 74-year-old former intelligence chief who was promoted just last month, is not widely popular with protesters who are seeking a complete break with the military-dominated system that has governed Egypt for the past six decades.
Suleiman appeared on state television to say there was a "road map" for transition and said he would oversee a "peaceful transition of power" in the Arab world's most populous nation.
Egypt's sprawling armed forces -- the world's 10th biggest and more than 468,000-strong -- have been at the heart of power since army officers overthrew the British-backed king in 1952.
The army, from politically plugged-in generals to poor conscripts and junior officers, is key to what happens next. "This poses a real dilemma for the army," said Rosemary Hollis at London's City University. "Are they going to allow the demonstrators to escalate their demonstrations so that they push the point that Mubarak has got to go, and that means the army definitely does split with Mubarak? he demonstrators are very disappointed and there will be violence."
Freedom of the press and the ability of the people to know and discuss what effects their lives is a basic human right.
It is all about nothing. US is just posturing. United States government does not want Mubarak to leave. Both US and Israel need Mubarak to help in the Palestinian genocide.
Just like the Wikileaks memos have revealed, they say one thing to the public and do the opposite. Egyptians must never give up. It is now or never. If they go home before Mubarak leaves, most of them will disappear, some will be tortured, and some will be murdered. And at the end, US will send more weapons to Mubarak and his henchmen.
Military AID, is what US does best. Sending war materials and equipment to people that have no food, no school and no medical care. That is why there are too many wars in Africa. If US spends the same amount of money given to Mubarak in arms, for school, hospitals, and food, Egypt will be the most developed country in Africa. Development and peace is not good for corporations that make weapons. So war and violence makes more money, and creates uncertainty, which in turn keeps a dictator in power for 30 years.
In 1963, the late Martin Luther King Jr said; “My country is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world”. A year later, they killed him for making that statement. The amazing thing is, that statement is still true today. US spends more money than any country on earth on weapons of war. US exports more weapons than any country. US starts more wars than any country. US invades more countries than any government. More people are killed in the US every year by handguns. More people are in prison in the US than anywhere on earth. US has more police officers, prison guards than any country.
What does all say about America? War and violence is the norm and they export their behavior to anywhere there is peace. Since 1945, the United States of American/CIA has purposely destroyed, deposed and replaced by coup, democratically elected governments in over 50 countries around the world.
Mubarak is a cancer that must be removed immediately, by any means possible. Egyptians must decide what happens to Mubarak and his corrupt government, not Israel, not EU, and not US.
When a government provides success and opportunity for only a narrow percentage of its population, there are a lot of citizens who really have nothing better to do than to point it out.
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