While for all practical explanations, Egypt had a democracy; its president remained more than a monarch, never willing to “abdicate” for the last many decades. Even at 82, he still wanted to go on and rule Egypt as long as he lived like all other monarchs of the Arab World. But the people finally though that they had enough of man who took over Egypt after the assassination of Anwar Sadat.
The ongoing protesters braved the powerful government resistance, inhaled unbearable tear gas, and received rubber bullets, besides facing bans and blackouts of internet services and closure of their mobile telephones for weeks but in the end they won. The crowd gathered at the Cairo's Tahrir Square cheered and danced when Hosni Mubarak announced to resign on Friday.
It is a great day for the oppressed people of Egypt who thought they had it enough of the over three decades long rule of one person, deciding the fate of one of the oldest living countries of the world. So much has been the impact of Mubarak’s step down that the oil prices saw a significant dip and the Benchmark crude for March delivery fell $1.21 to $85.52 in midday trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The over joy of the people in streets was so ecstatic that they hoisted soldiers onto their shoulders and families posed for pictures in front of tanks. It may be added here that the Egyptian army played a dominant role in supporting the public opinion and forcing the president to step down. The emotionally charged people danced and embraced each other, some even kissed the ground and thanked Allah for ridding them of the tyranny of the one man rule.
Well after Tunisia, it was Egypt where people won. We in Pakistan are facing a similar situation, where the three years old democracy has done more harm to the country as compared to the three decades rule of Mubarak in Egypt. The state is in a state of quandary ever since the return of the NRO blessed democracy in Pakistan. Every state organ has been corrupted and each day a new scandal surfaces worth billions of rupees. It is the heart of the Supreme Court to brave the onslaught of cases of corruptions it is dealing every day.
The Friday reshuffle of the cabinet has come as a big dismay for the Pakistanis as the new cabinet has same old faces, many of which are NRO beneficiaries. People had thought of seeing a positive change when the previous cabinet was dissolved, but all hopes have died down for a better tomorrow, at least for now.
The opposition in Pakistan has proved to be as docile as a lamb which doesn’t seem to have any steam left init to force the government to have mercy over the sorry state of the country. The friendly opposition posed by PML (N) has done more harm to the country than the government itself by only writing letters to the government but showing only mild opposition in the parliament, only to save its government from crumbling in Punjab. Another party head sits in the comforts of England and boasts of changing the destiny of the country. The masses are really fed up of the rhetoric but are leaderless to rise their voice against the abject poverty, rampant corruption and looting and plundering of the country.
The flood afectees continue to rot in the now torn and tattered tent villages, while lodges for the few and privileged continue to be built. No one really seemed to be having an iota of concern for the miseries of the common man who continues to suffer and become more oppressed and poorer every day. But unfortunately no messiah is in sight, while the pied piper takes the country to point of no return.
Photo courtesy: AP/Ben Curtis/Yahoo News
0 comments:
Post a Comment