so mubarak has dug in. insists that he is the legitimate ruler until september elections. his supporters agree, afraid that if he goes life will get even more chaotic, not only for pro-mubarak egyptians, but for israel and america, because what if the muslim brotherhood takes over.
but that wasn’t very smart, siccing his armed goons on the protesting crowds, trying to disperse them? incredibly the people are holding on and promise even bigger crowds today. they’d rather have chaos without mubarak than with. oo nga naman, kahit paano, it would be a step forward just getting rid of this aged tyrant.
not very smart either, blaming the uprising on foreign journalists and trying to muzzle foreign media, i suppose in anticipation of the march to the palace. maybe they’ll block all roads to the palace? or maybe the military forces might finally be forced to reveal whoseside they’re on, and whether it’s on the side of the people or of mubarak, they don’t want the world to see? mas mahirap nga namang i-spin after, not just for mubarak but also for obama.
huge crowd packing liberation square right now. the area reportedly being cordoned off by soldiers. hopefully only to keep out pro-mubarak goons. otherwise, time for obama to walk the talk, to put it mildly.
Obama is walking the talk, but it’s a very lame walk, and all talk.
Today is Mubarak’s ‘good Friday’, tomorrow Mubarak’s ‘good Saturday’, and on Sunday Mubarak’s ‘good Sunday’. Mubarak’s ‘good day’ will go on and on if only Western governments let the fate of Egypt in the hands of the great majority of the Egyptian people.
What’s happening in Egypt is Western government’s manipulation of events in a sovereign state to suit their interests.
I hope it turns out good for the rest of the world.
Egypt politicians are even more cunning than Marcos.
Marcos didn’t figure out how to turn Filipinos against Filipinos; Mubarak has found some tricks and implementing them. One Mubarak tactic is to denounce that many of the demonstrators are destabilizers of Egyptian society — agents of Israel and the CIA.
Second one is more cunning — Mubarak has allowed law-and-order to deteriorate so that (1) food prices have gone up; (2) many citizens were unable to work and are now desperate for money. Now, Mubarak is making hakot, giving the poor hungry Egyptians money if they turn on the demonstrators.
Above tactic is something that Noynoy will surely be told to have in his playbook should there be a surge-the-gates against him. If not Noynoy, the next Pilipinas target of surge-the-gates.
A solution is straightforward, but Noynoy administration has to work a harder for this objective. The simple call for jobs, jobs, jobs — jobs for Pinoys in Pilipinas.
yeah i think we might be seeing the limits to people power that’s leaderless
Ang hindi ko gets sa mga Egyptians eh bakit masyado silang concerned sa “image nila.” Pati mga inosenteng mga reporters ginugulpi nila kasi feeling nila, nine-nega ng mga reporters ang “image” ng Egypt. Duh, napakabackward nila, ngayon lang sila nakakita ng journalist at reporters??
Besides, hindi ko gets kung anong pinalalaban ng mga protesters na yan, I mean, if ever mag succeed sila, ano? gusto nila ng communism? socialism mixed with islam? Considering manalo ang mga protesters, gusto nila patay laht ng jews para magkaron ng “cleansing” sa society nila?
Etong si mumbarak naman, isa pa tong ulupong eh. Bida bidahan na tyrant.
I doubt it kung may bagong lipunan na maganap sa egypt kahit pa manalo kahit sinong side. Ang problema ay yung utak nila. Baliw na sila. Ewan ko pero tama siguro yung nagsabi na “Todays slaves, are tomorrow’s tyrants” – di malayo magiging cycle lang din ulit yan, until magkaroon ng totoong rebulusyon.
palagay ko, rah, sa tagal ng diktadurya ni mubarak, 30 years, medyo nabobo na ang people, parang they have no idea what it takes to effect the kind of change they want, so parang sa amerika sila umaasa na basta, paalisin si mubarak at ayusin ang gobyerno
Bagong twist. Iran’s Ayatollah Khamanei declaring Mubarak a traitor dictator to Egyptian people.
What if Iran Ayatollah declares a fatwa on Mubarak? Giyera kaya?
NOTE: Iranians are not Arabs. Nag-giyera noon, Persians versus Arabs (Iran versus Iraq)… baka round 2 Persians-v-Arabs (Iran v Egypt) fought with missiles and aircraft versus tanks (hindi contiguous borders).
what do you expect obama to do?
Obama to do a Reagan-on-Marcos. Remind Mubarak to keep the hakot-thugs in check. Offer a safe place for Mubarak to go to (not to USA but maybe to Singapore, but more likely to an African country or to some small town in Switzerland). Talk to Egypt generals to thread that line that (1) prevents civil war [withdraw support from, but still providing security around Mubarak], (2) prevents the radicalization of the country of Egypt (“secular” remains viable; the minority Islam-sects still have protection; supra-radical Islam kept in check); (3) maintain status-quo Egypt’s relationship with Israel.
Then hopefully when the dust settles, Egypt remains where the country continues to accept visiting workers from Philippines, Bangladesh, others.
As for the younger Mubarak, maybe he does a BongBong and years from now become a viable contender to be President-Egypt.
I expect Obama to do what he is doing now…destabilizing the government of Mubarak, then replace him with another puppet government, Obama hoping and crossing his fingers that the Islamists and the Muslim Brotherhood will just look on and cheer him, hehehehehehehe.