I am really pleased to see that the Egyptian public really understand the importance of the Mubarak dictatorship being dismantled first before they can seat down and talk. What Mubarak is failing to understand is that his dictatorial powers are at the very heart of this uprising. Not only does Mubarak want to dictate when the people should leave Tahrir Square but more significantly he will also dictate the nature of the reforms during the coming transition and formative months ahead. One will have to be very naïve to think that a dictator like him will be pushing for freedom, democracy and human dignity!
Some people have argued that the public should trust those now meeting with the Mubarak regime to negotiate what role Mubarak and the rest of his regime will have in the coming months. The very fact that Mubarak and anyone else for that matter believe Mubarak’s dictatorial powers are negotiable means they do not believe they are excessive in the first place. Indeed if any of the negotiators have any common sense, they tell the regime that dismantling the dictatorship is not negotiable!
In a way, the Egyptian public are maintaining pressure on those send out to negotiate with the Mubarak regime not to sell out. As a Zimbabwean, I know just easily those supposedly championing democratic change can betray the people. Mugabe dangled the PM and a few Ministerial positions (none of them with any real power to change a sausage) to Tsvangirai and his MDC friends and, glory be, how quickly they forgot and forgave Mugabe. Not only did MDC allow Mugabe to keep and exercise all his dictatorial power they never tired of singing the dictator’s praise. Mugabe is a “great national hero” said Prime Minister Tsvangirai. Mugabe is a “Victorian gentleman who should be knighted!” said Minister Tendai Biti!
Zimbabweans’ hope and yarning for freedom and liberty was betrayed by Tsvangirai in 2008 just as readily as Mugabe had done in 1980. No doubt the people of Egypt have been similarly betrayed in the past and therefore the more reason they must not that happen again; not this time!
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