Strange ongoings

Strange ongoings

Feb 10th 2011, 23:42 by I.A. | CAIRO

 

 

 

AT FIRST, most thought the moment the protesters occupying Cairo's Tahrir Square had waited 17 days for had come. In the early evening, Egypt's Supreme Military Council met and issued a very coup-like "Communiqué No. 1" stating that "all the people's demands will be met." State television, which had hitherto showed only a sliver of the packed square, moved its cameras to offer a full view of the joyous protesters. It also announced that President Hosni Mubarak would soon speak to the nation, in what most presumed would be a resignation speech.

 

Rumours spread on Twitter and satellite channels that Mr Mubarak was headed for Dubai, Manama or Sharm al-Sheikh. Debates erupted over whether his vice-president, the dour Omar Suleiman, a former intelligence chief, would be an acceptable replacement. The protesters began to split between those who would be satisfied with Mr Mubarak's resignation, and those who wanted to continue the revolution. All the while, contradictory reports emerged from the wire agencies, satellite stations and Egypt's political class.

 

In Tahrir Square, expectations were high. Many had come to take part in revelry, but Mr Mubarak's speech continued to be postponed. Jokes began to circulate about why he was so late, with the consensus being that he was, after all, an Egyptian, a people not known for their punctuality. Amidst the drumbeats and jovial chants, time passed.

 

And then the bubble burst. In Tahrir Square, the crowds huddled around speakers powered from lamp-posts or made phone calls to relatives who held their handsets close to televisions. A rare silence fell over central Cairo.

 

With the self-assured baritone of his previous two speeches, Mr Mubarak spoke—in what appeared to be a pre-recorded speech—of his sadness at recent events, notably the deaths or several protesters last week. He said that he too "was once young" and understood the public's anger, and conceded that "mistakes were made" and those responsible for them would be punished. He pledged to reform various articles of the constitution, but did not mention suspending the Emergency Law, a longstanding demand.

 

By the third time he repeated that he would remain president until September, the crowd's reaction had formed: a mixture of incomprehension and disgust. Some raised their shoes in the air and chanted: "He'll go! We won't go!" Many now promise that tomorrow's "day of rage" will be the biggest protest yet.

 

It did not help matters that Mr Suleiman addressed the nation next, praising Mr Mubarak and calling on the youth to return to work. The vice-president, to whom Mr Mubarak said he would delegate some undefined powers, was as uncharismatic as in his previous appearances, when he presented a coup as the only alternative to the dialogue with opposition forces started last week.

 

Most Egyptians cannot make heads or tails of the strangest evening since the crisis began on January 25th. But the night's events confirm a few things. Mr Mubarak appears to be delegating more power, both formally and de facto, to Mr Suleiman. Even some senior officials now say he is a mere figurehead. The army continues to send mixed messages, perhaps reflecting an internal split, and the political elite that fronts for the military appears ever more out of the loop.

 

But most of all, the young men and women who form the bulk of the protest movement and have had some success in recent days in spreading dissent to ministries, factories and public services—postal workers, telecommunication workers, bus drivers and hospital staff have staged partial strikes—are becoming increasingly convinced that their country's leadership is deaf to their pleas. Some have threatened to march to the presidential palace on Friday, and even the soft-spoken Mohamed ElBaradei, the most prominent opposition leader, is openly calling for the army to intervene. Egypt now awaits further communiqués: the Supreme Military Council was supposed to issue one at midnight, but it too is late.

 

http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2011/02/unrest_egypt