And Mubarak wept

On Saturday, June 2, 2012, Hosni Mubarak, former President of Egypt, was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the killing of demonstrators in last year’s uprising which toppled his government. It was a pity seeing Mubarak brought to court on a stretcher throughout his trial. Old age and poor health were manifestly evident and one could guess the mental turmoil Mubarak was going through as he listened to the charges made against him. Court officials were not moved a bit. They handed down a life sentence to the former strong man and even this did not satisfy many Egyptians who were calling for a death penalty. According to media reports, Mubarak cried when he was put on a helicopter destined for a prison hospital on the outskirts of Cairo. He was said to have cried in protest and resisted leaving the helicopter, insisting he should be sent to a facility where he spent most of his time in relative luxury during his trial. After about two hours or so, Mubarak caved in and finally left the helicopter to begin his life sentence, that is if there is any life left in him. There are many who would cry if they should find themselves in Mubarak’s position. From the monarch of all that he surveyed; a man who for 29 years ruled one of the most powerful and influential countries in the Arab world without opposition to be reduced to an ordinary convict, -- from GLORY to IGNOMINY – and you cannot blame Mubarak for shedding copious tears like a baby. But should Mubarak blame anybody for this shameful end to his life? Mubarak came to power on October 14, 1981 when he succeeded President Anwar Sadat who was shot and killed at a military parade on October 6, 1981, which was seen as the work of radicals who saw his peace agreement with Israel in 1979 as a betrayal. Mubarak who was Vice President at the time took over and quickly consolidated his hold on power. Throughout his rule, Egypt was under emergency law (Law No. 162 of 1958), which was briefly lifted in 1980/81, and re-imposed after the assassination of Sadat. The emergency law cleared the path for Mubarak against any opposition because police powers were extended, constitutional rights suspended, censorship legalised and the government had the right to arrest and detain individuals for any period of time and for no reason. By a restriction in the Egyptian Constitution, only the People’s Assembly nominates presidential candidates for endorsement in a referendum. Mubarak, therefore, had no challenger to his high office until in 2005, when the first multi-candidate presidential elections were held. Even that one came with a casualty when Ayman Nour, the man who contested Mubarak and challenged the election results was arrested, tried and convicted for forgery and jailed five years. It became obvious that Mubarak could not be removed from political office through any constitutional means so opposition became clandestine. He survived several assassination attempts including a deadly one in June 1995 when he was in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, for an Organisation of African Unity (OAU) summit. Before the Arab Spring which toppled him, it was widely rumoured that Mubarak was grooming Gamal, one of his sons to succeed him, copying from General Gnansigbe Eyadema of Togo and Omar Bongo of Gabon. When the protests began in January 2011, Mubarak was caught on the wrong foot and his reaction was slow. As the protests persisted and intensified, he started giving concessions which came too late. First, he declared he was no longer going to contest after September, 2011. Then he said he was not going beyond 2011 when the next election was due. He also promised constitutional reforms and gave the assurance that his son will not succeed him as was being speculated. Mubarak’s fate entered another phase when his Vice President, Omar Suleiman, announced that Mubarak had resigned from office and handed over to the military. Maybe he miscalculated the currents of the people’s power, otherwise he could have chosen the path of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the Tunisian leader who was the first casualty of the Arab Spring, who quickly opted for exile and escaped the wrath of the protesters. If Mubarak thought the military would protect him, he was wrong. At 82, Mubarak should have been relaxing coolly at a beach resort with his grandchildren but here he is in jail with no sympathy from the people he had ruled for 29 years. He was not as lucky as other dictators like General Eyadema and Omar Bongo who died in office. Even Col Muamar Gaddafi and Gen Mobutu died nobler deaths, because they did not suffer the embarrassment of imprisonment. Those who are still hanging onto power through fair or foul means must learn from Mubarak’s experience and revise their notes. I hope good old Robert Mugabe and Gen Omar Al-Bashir and the rest are listening. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com