So many people all around the world are complaining about the henious acts of dictator Mubarak in Egypt - as he has ordered his hired guns to go to every prison and jail and release the inmates, ordering them to the streets and rob, steal, vandalize, terrorize and even kill - while acting as supporters demonstration against the protestors. The term "supporters" was replaced by the word "supportEEs" because it is obvious as to who-was-"supporting"-who. The United States was the first in line to recognize the evil of letting hardened criminals loose on the citizens of Egypt simply because they were peacefully demonstrating against a man, who for 30 years had acted against his own people in similar was to Sadman Hosein of Iraq. There is a lot more behind Hosni Mubarak digging in his heels and setting his thugs on the peaceful protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square than pure politics. This is also about money. And the rest of the world can see right through every single move he is making. Mubarak and the clique surrounding him have long treated Egypt as their own private kingdom and its resources as spoils to be divided among each of them. Under sweeping privatisation policies, they appropriated profitable public enterprises and vast areas of state-owned lands. A small group of businessmen seized public assets and acquired monopoly positions in strategic commodity markets such as iron and steel, cement and wood. While crony capitalism flourished, local industries that were once the backbone of the economy were left to decline. At the same time, private sector industries making environmentally hazardous products like ceramics, marble and fertilisers have expanded without effective regulation at a great cost to the health of the population. A tiny economic elite controlling consumption-geared production and imports has accumulated great wealth. This elite includes representatives of foreign companies with exclusive import rights in electronics, electric cables and automobiles. It also includes real estate developers who created a construction boom in gated communities and resorts for the super-rich. Much of this development is on public land acquired at very low prices, with no proper tendering or bidding. It is estimated that around a thousand families maintain control of vast areas of the economy. This business class sought to consolidate itself and protect its wealth through political office. The National Democratic party was their primary vehicle for doing so. This alliance of money and politics became flagrant in recent years when a number of businessmen became government ministers with portfolios that clearly overlapped with their private interests. Look closely at these figures: Mubarak presided over a process in which the national wealth passed into a few private hands while the majority of the population was impoverished: 40% live below poverty level - with less than $2 a day (really - 2 bucks a day) Unemployment over 40% (unbearable) Youth without a future. No jobs. No advancement. Nothing. Last few months of 2010 - Egyptians protested - requesting a raise from the $100 month salary set by the Nazif government, who said it was enough to live on. (100 bucks a month - for a whole family??) This comes at a time when the prices of food staples and utilities tariffs increased at very high rates. Indeed, as one local economist asserted, every single commodity and service cost significantly more under the Nazif government – which is the government of business that ended progressive taxation and replaced it by a single unified income tax. Additionally, public social services underwent masked privatisation, taking health and education beyond the reach of vast segments of the population. Many poor families were forced to give up the hope of educating children and had to send them to do menial work to contribute to the income of the household. There was little public investment in most services, and in infrastructure such as roads, water and sewerage. In the 2000s, Egypt witnessed numerous demonstrations by ordinary people across the country for the construction of overpass bridges on fast roads and for clean water in towns and villages. The legitimate social and economic demands of the people were repressed and denied, and the regime used the police to control the population. Under emergency laws, the police acquired extensive powers and engaged in surveillance and monitoring of the population. Torture and abuse in police stations became routine. Police roadblocks and checks were part of the daily reality of Egyptians. Under the generalised corruption, the police engaged in extortion and offered their services to private interests. Egypt was governed as a private estate. Mubarak's immediate family is implicated in crony capitalist activities as partners of most of the businessmen who benefited from the regime's corruption. These beneficiaries do not want to leave their palaces, beaches and resorts, lucrative businesses and extreme riches. These fixed assets cannot be transferred outside the country – although it should be noted that the ruling elites have siphoned off huge amounts of cash to foreign bank accounts. Nonetheless, it is the country-turned-private-estate they do not wish to abandon – that's why they deployed the thugs in Tahrir Square to terrorise the population. This is a tactic that the National Democratic party has used on many previous occasions. In the national elections to the people's assembly and to the shura council, thugs are hired to intimidate voters and to support rigging the results. At all popular protests, the police set thugs to attack the protesters using all means of intimidation, including the sexual harassment of women participants. For sure, this is the case in Egypt right now, especially since the women are either Muslims or serious Christians, who protect their beauty from the common public, giving the perfect chance for these thugs to carry out all types of intimidation against these ladies. Thugs have become an arm of the police and they have been used as informants in popular quarters of the city. They are rewarded with licences to operate kiosks or run minibus services. The cruel practices of hired thugs, henchmen and mercenaries have been adopted by the regime to maintain itself and protect the interests of the ruling elite for decades now. Facing the growing possibility of losing their illegitimately acquired wealth and power, the regime and its cronies resorted to the techniques and practices that they have previously used with impunity to silence all opposition and resistance. However, the magnitude of popular mobilisation and the resolve to fight for dignity and freedom have rendered the regime's tactics obsolete. |
Mubarak Exposed in UK
"Only a thousand families count in a country that Mubarak and his cronies regard as their fiefdom" - Salwa Ismail - The Guardian UK
Comments
1-He was one of our 6th of October war heroes and was willing to lay down his life for Egpyt.
2-He regained the dignity of all the Arab nations.
3-He refused to go to war with Iraq when the USA asked him to join in!!
4-He improved Egpyt's infra-structure
5-he created cheap housing for the needy.
and much more!
Sure, there were a lot of mistakes especially during the end, but that was because of one fatal mistake he made and that is gripping on to the power under the pressure of family. Family wanted to prepare Gamal for presidency. Mubarak, growing old, let him manage a lot of things. You could say that Egypt was ruled from behind the curtains for a long while!
Mubarak really did win the hearts of many people especially after his second speech "I will die in my country"
But, what happened day were not his OWN tactics but rather the mafia around his neive son!
his only fault was gripping on to the presidency for so long, trusting in the mafia around him who were trying to steal the country and spoiling his younger son.
If you are watching local Egpytian progrmas now 'El Hayah' on 'EL Hayah' tv, you will see some very honourable ministers that are unveiling truths about his life. But, unfortunately, the int'l media are picturing an untrue impression of him. We all know that media nowadays is not exactly ethical. Please, this upsets a lot of Egyptians!
RSS feed for comments to this post