As the Muslim Brotherhood members gather in Tahrir Square to celebrate the recent unconfirmed election results in Egypt and to protest the Military power grab, the Middle East News Agency released a conflicting report that former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is “clinically dead.” Earlier report indicated Mubarak had suffered a stroke and a heart attack but was resuscitated and placed on a ventilator.
Since the former Egyptian President was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the death of Egyptians, killed during the uprising in Egypt, many in the country have remained divided over what should happen to the former leader. Some want him placed in a hospital like suite where he could receive treatment due to his health issues, others believe he got what he deserves and therefore should remain in prison until his death; Mubarak himself refused to begin his sentence immediately after the Egyptian court delivered judgment.
While the state of health of the former leader is still unconfirmed at the time of writing, the current development means the 84-year-old former leader may not be going to prison after-all. In the United States, when a patient is “clinically dead” it means the patient has no brain activity and normally such a person is declared dead. Irrespective of whether Mubarak survives the health scare or not, there is a likelihood the former Egyptian leader only has few days or more to live. The former leader has been deteriorating in health since his trial and has been seriously ill after his sentence was handed, making some to think his recent health issue, means an end to the Mubarak chapter in Egypt.
Irrespective of the current situation, it is still unknown what the future holds for Egypt, as the country still remains unsettled more than a year after the uprising began. There is now a power struggle between the Supreme Military Council and the Muslim Brotherhood who are keen on declaring victory before the final election results were released. Now that Morsi has been declared the winner, most Egyptians are unsure of what will happen in the country since the current situation may mean the beginning of a power showdown between the Military and the Muslim Brotherhood.
There are those who think that 18-months since the demonstration in Tahrir Square took place, the country may be heading towards a rule by Islamists, who are likely to impose a Sharia style law on the country against the wish of many Egyptians, who think the country deserves to be a democracy, a secular state that respect human rights and a government that works towards promoting civil liberty. With the Military power move and the recent declaration of Morsi as the winner of the election and presumably the next President of Egypt, the final exit of Mubarak from Egyptian politics may mean nothing unless the current differences are resolved.
Whether Mubarak survives the health issues or not, he is no longer in power; his time in Egyptian politics was settled and ended 18-months ago at Tahrir Square when he was ousted. Egyptians are now responsible for putting in power whoever takes over leadership in their country; they will have themselves to blame if the next government is undemocratic and they will bear the results if the secular nature of the state is replaced by Islamists and Sharia law.
Dr. Adeyemi Oshunrinade [E. JD] is an expert in general law, foreign relations and the United Nations; follow on Twitter @san0670.
Categories: Foreign Affairs, Politics
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