MP SPEAKS We saw images of people in Tahrir Square crying, laughing, kneeling and kissing the ground as news spread that Egypt's dictator Hosni Mubarak had fled Cairo. Pro-democracy supporters around the world cheered to celebrate the revolution.

The end of a egypt the day after mubarak overthrow women celebrating 1 autocratic rule is a victory for people power, although 300 protestors died in the quest for freedom. Essentially the protests signalled the need for the people to regain their democratic rights and dignity.

As Olfa Tantawi, a mother of two, wrote: "This revolution is not just about poverty or need. The people on the streets are from all walks of life, rich and poor and are there because they want freedom.

“The people need a guarantee that whoever rules will at the end of the day, month, year (will) go back to his home knowing that his initial identity is (that of) an Egyptian citizen and not an everlasting ruler."

I, too, celebrate this historic event, hoping it paves the way for a democratic rule in Egypt. Through sheer determination and willpower hundreds of thousands of protesters gave Mubarak the boot - a leader who had shamelessly done the bidding of the US and Israel in return for billions of dollars in military aid.

NONE Mubarak is gone. He fled to Sharm-el-Sheikh, a Western-style holiday resort on the Red Sea.

But what exactly does the transition of power to the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces mean? It simply means that Egypt, which has been under a state of emergency for the past 30 years, will continue to be ruled by the military.

On top of this, the role of Vice-President Omar Suleiman is vague, to say the least. According to WikiLeaks and prominent Egyptian army families, Israel has been lobbying Washington to ensure that he is promoted to the presidency.

Suleiman was an army man, just like Mubarak, and collaborated with the CIA in extraordinary rendition programmes during the US-led ‘war on terror’. When Americans wanted to use the crudest torture techniques, their first stop was Egypt.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei has expressed confidence that the army will reach out to the wider spectrum of society and allow opposition parties to share power during the transition period.

It is t egypt revolution mubarak steps down huge crowd 1 oo soon to tell if this will come to pass. Besides, who is there to curb the army’s power?

The people who took to the streets, braving military tanks and ‘live’ bullets did not just call for Mubarak’s departure, but also for democratic institutions.

Therefore, the army must conduct elections without undue delay. The people must be given the right to vote in the next government.

Egypt needs a constitution that guarantees freedom and human rights and a civilian-led government elected by the people, which will look into equal distribution of wealth, create employment opportunities, and make healthcare and education affordable for all.

Inspiration for others

Millions outside Egypt have been inspired by the revolution.

Freedom for Palestinians is no longer academic, but a future reality. It is now even more possible to pressure Israel to lift the blockade imposed on the Gaza strip, a restriction which has plunged 1.5 million people into abject poverty.

The Israeli government has only allowed a trickle of food, medicine and fuel into Gaza. Children have no choice but to scavenge for food on the streets and hospitals are turning away the terminally ill due to the lack of beds and medical supplies.

NONE Malaysian premier Najib Abdul Razak has warned that similar protests will not shake Umno and the ruling BN government which protects cronies, allows rampant corruption, and marginalises the poor. It does not care two hoots about judicial independence and uses various laws to curb dissent and the freedoms of expression and assembly.

The fact that Najib has issued such a warning demonstrates that he is afraid of people power. Malaysians are fed-up with the government which has hoodwinked them for 53 years, played money politics to hold on to power, and condoned abuse of power by the police and various government bodies.

The Egyptian revolution also brings a glimmer of hope to the people of Sarawak who have been oppressed by the tyranny of its billionaire chief minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Like Mubarak, Taib has also been around for 30 years. He and his BN cronies have amassed enormous wealth, while the people of Sarawak and the indigenous communities live in squalor.

The involvement of Taib and his family with logging companies has allegedly resulted in corruption, bribery and transfer pricing, where the financial details of transnational logging companies, including Malaysian companies, are difficult to track.

To keep his income from the timber industry, Taib's administration has ignored the rape of Penan girls and women by timber company employees.

azlan Taib also continues to make money through Cahaya Mata Sarawak Bhd, a company controlled by his family. It has been awarded government contracts to maintain and construct roads in Sarawak, upgrade airports and supply roofing materials for low-cost housing projects.

Due to heavy logging, less that 10 percent of Sarawak's primary forests remain - and this has taken away ancestral lands from indigenous communities. There are also plans to build 51 dams by 2037, which will further displace these communities.

Taib refuses to budge from power. This is shameful, but all is not lost.

Sarawak will go to the polls by July. Inspired by the revolution in Egypt let’s hope that the people will use their voting power to rise up against Taib, and vote for a transparent and accountable government.

Pakatan congratulates Egyptians in memo

 

 

CHARLES SANTIAGO is the DAP’s member of parliament for Klang.