Egyptian liberation: The triumph of human will and dignity

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics, Articles, Columnists Monday, March 7th, 2011

By Emeka Chiakwelu, NNP, Mar 7. 2011 – Hosni Mubarak 82, resigned and Power transferred to Egyptian military

Switzerland has frozen the Swiss bank account and assets of Hosni Mubarak

The victory and accolades belong to the people of Egypt – youths, young
and the old did not rest nor sleep until Hosni Mubarak, the 30 years
Egyptian dictator bowed down from power. The streets and air of Cairo and
Egypt have been filled with euphoria, ecstatic and thunderous joy as they
celebrate the departure of Mubarak.

As Egyptians demanded his departure, out of omission or commission Mubarak
read the tea leaf upside down and chose to bury his face in the sand. He
went on state run television and told the desperate Egyptians that he will
continue to be their president. The people of Egypt could not take that
anymore and they marched in large masses to the presidential palace
peacefully and the next day Mubarak turned in his resignation letter to
his appointed vice-president Omar Suleiman.

Hosni Mubarak’s autocratic and dictatorial leadership has been the order
of the day in his country for almost thirty years; he has managed
successfully to suppress democratic impulse and instinct for a long time.
Mubarak was able to convince the civilized world that without his presence
and control that the Islamic radicals who were lurking at the corner will
take over reigns of power. On this cultivated gamesmanship as custodian of
stability, he assumed the cloak of inevitability as he was seen as a
stabilizing force in his region.

A New day and beginning of a long journey

The people of Egypt needs and deserves their moment in the sun, they have
made a history by driving out a dictator by themselves without any
interference or help from outside. It was a great achievement indeed by
any standard, with almost a velvet revolution a strongman of the land was
made to give up power. The forces of change coupled with human will and
dignity were too much to be marched by crude forces of brutality and
darkness emitted by Mubarak regime.

Hosni Mubarak did not govern alone, with the support of his henchmen,
secret police and military he overwhelmed his people with fear, credible
threats and intimidation. The remnant of his leadership has not
disappeared completely but the military have as well understood and have
experienced the power of the common people. The military during the 18
days of the uprising was behaving responsibly and have respected the
rights of the people to assemble and to march peacefully. And for this
they deserved to be applauded for being the custodian of stability in
Egypt. But the military by nature of their training are not competent to
rule but to defend a nation.

Egyptian people must understand that the driving away of the dictator was
an opening door to a long journey to democratic dispensation. Egyptians
maybe in quick need of calling for an election, which is a good thing but
election is not tantamount to democracy rather a building block to a
democratic dispensation. A constitution is needed as a compass to
democracy and rule of law. A secular constitution to be written that
respects the fundamental human rights to speak freely and to gather freely
without interference. Constitution that guarantees minority and religious
rights is the core rudimentary of a prosperous democracy.

Emeka Chiakwelu is the principal Policy Strategist at Afripol. Africa
Political and Economic Strategic Center (Afripol) is foremost a public
policy center whose fundamental objective is to broaden the parameters of
public policy debates in Africa. To advocate, promote and encourage free
enterprise, democracy, sustainable green environment, human rights,
conflict resolutions, transparency and probity in Africa. www.afripol.org
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