188 Support for Mubarak's ouster wanes amidsecurity concerns (Feature)

Feb 3, 2011, 19:22 GMT

Cairo - Doorman Samy Mohamed is one of the thousands of first-time protesters who have been gathering in Cairo's main Tahrir Square, calling for the ouster of President Hosny Mubarak.

The demonstrators feel the time has come for the president, who has ruled Egypt with a tight grip for nearly 30 years, to step down along with his entire government.

But Samy's mood changed after waking up Thursday morning to horrific images of pre-dawn clashes between pro- and anti-Mubarak groups around the square, which left at least eight dead, according to media and eyewitness reports.

Television footage of hundreds of people nursing the injuries as Egyptians battled one another has left Samy wondering if the revolt has been worth it.

There is fear that this is not the end of the violence, with many blaming the government for hiring thugs to pose as pro-Mubarak protesters.

'All those young men dying, it's a sin. We should just wait for him (Mubarak) to leave in September. Yes, I wish he'd go now, but I don't want more dying in Tahrir,' Samy said.

Egyptians, who hold their reputation for tolerance in high esteem, are in a fierce national debate over whether to continue supporting the revolt or to step back and accept that Mubarak 'will die' in Egypt and will be the one to decide when and how he steps down, as he said in a televised speech on Tuesday.

Mubarak, who vowed he would not run in the upcoming September elections, said, 'I will work in the remaining months of my term to take the steps to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.'

To many, it was clear that Mubarak will not walk away easily. His newly-appointed Prime Minster Ahmed Shafiq said the ouster of the Tunisian president would not be repeated in Egypt, a view echoed by Vice President Omar Suleiman on Thursday.

'We do not have to take to the Tunis catalog and have it be instituted here,' said Shafiq, who urged an 'honourable exit' for Mubarak.

One Egyptian writing on the social network site Facebook, who wanted to remain anonymous due to his job with the country's national intelligence unit, wrote, 'People in Tahrir till now don't represent me as an Egyptian. My president represents me.'

In response, one young man wrote, 'Your representative got the people hungry for a whole week by pulling the police forces out of the city. He is is responsible for at least 300 killed and 500 missing and a bullet in my leg, JUST so that he stays president.'

In contrast, another young man replied, 'It's not Mubarak's fault. It is the false opposition's fault. People with agendas and regimes that has nothing to do with your or my interest.'

The unrest of the past 10 days has split the country, but it's difficult to estimate how many people are still supporting the embattled president.

What has been made clear, from interviews with people on the street, is that many of those backing Mubarak to stay on until September do so out of security concerns that take precedence over calls for freedom.

'We want security. Let him stay so we can live again,' yelled one young woman as she honked a horn in support of the pro-Mubarak protesters.

Prior to January 25, when nationwide anti-Mubarak protests kick- started, many Egyptians admittedly considered themselves weak in the face of the country's large security apparatus. Only a limited group of activists and unions would typically protest in the streets, despite controversial emergency laws that prohibit unauthorized protests.

The fear and worry that had gripped Egyptians for decades dissipated over the past 10 days, with Egyptians of all class and creed, age and education, taking to the streets.

Tuesday's 'million man march' saw well over 1 million people in Tahrir Square. Some held up pictures of Mubarak defaced to look like Adolf Hitler. Two effigies of the president were seen hanging in the square.

Keeping in line with Egyptians' well-known sense of humour, one sign read, 'Resign now. My hand is getting tired from holding this (placard).'

As security concerns grow, locals have set up neighbourhood watch groups after police disappeared from the streets, but the military has kept a neutral role so far, vowing not to shoot at civilians.

Even privately owned Egyptian satellite channels have toned down their usual criticism of the government. On Tuesday night, following Mubarak's televised speech in which he promised reforms, the popular Egyptian presenter Mona Shazly tearfully appealed to viewers through her programme called 10pm - to 'give Mubarak a chance.'

'Tahrir is not the nation's wish, at least not the current Tahrir. As I understand it the nation's wish is for peace to be restored, reforms to be introduced, and a new president to be elected next September,' wrote an Egyptian security officer on Facebook.

'We need to be reasonable, we need a pause, things are moving too quickly and too extreme.'

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