Editorial
The people rise in Egypt
Mubarak must accept reality
As we reflect on the state of things in Egypt today, the situation takes increasingly newer dimensions with every moment that goes by. Tens of thousands of Egyptians keep pouring on to the streets, demanding that President Hosni Mubarak quit power. For his part, the long-time Egyptian leader has tried to pacify the country by sacking his ministers, which of course is not enough. He has promised to carry on with what he calls reforms, a promise he has made over the years without meaning to carry it through. In these past thirty years, politics in the country, never very enlightening, has stagnated. Mubarak has not only ensured that he wins elections with no less than 98 per cent of the vote every time, but has seen to it that his opponents cannot raise any protest on pain of being locked away. Meanwhile, in the manner of so many other rulers in the region and elsewhere, he has carefully been grooming his son Gamal to take over from him.
If Egyptians can sustain their protests, which they have done for five days now, everything Mubarak has done since succeeding the slain Anwar Sadat in 1981 will be set at naught, which will certainly not be a bad thing after all. Indeed, with Tunisia showing the way (and its president scampering off into exile in Saudi Arabia), it is now pretty much obvious that something of a domino effect has seized the Arab world. Protests have erupted in Yemen and Jordan, where calls for change first made in Tunis have now found their way into a wider ambience. That is as it should be, for there is in these popular protests a reflection of a new wave of resistance to entrenched authoritarianism. The army is out on the streets. The soldiers are being cheered by the protestors. At the same time, many may have died while violating the curfew imposed by the authorities. The truth today is that Mubarak's rule has been exposed for the hollowness of power it has always been.
The end game has not been arrived at yet in Egypt. The situation remains extremely fluid. But what is clear is that the writing is out there on the wall for President Mubarak. Despite Washington's call for restraint on both sides, despite his making a scapegoat of his cabinet, Egypt's leader must look at reality in the face. He should step down gracefully, unless he wishes to make a dash for exile. Egypt's people deserve a lot better than what they have come by thus far under Mubarak.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. 
Related News
Why is safe water inaccessible for millions despite rising spending?
9 hour(s) ago
Editorial
BB must confront bad loans’ true scale
18 June 2026, 18:38 PM
Editorial
Dolphin deaths must be investigated
18 June 2026, 08:00 AM
Editorial
Weak policing fuelling rise in crimes
17 June 2026, 18:18 PM
Editorial
Three union names, one troubling pattern
17 June 2026, 08:00 AM
Editorial
Comments