Mubarak's out, but where is Mubarak? (Feature)

By Nehal El-Sherif Feb 14, 2011, 15:54 GMT

Cairo - What went on in Egypt`s presidential palace on Hosny Mubarak's last day in office? Did the army force him to resign? Is the man who ruled for 30 years in a coma? How much wealth did the Mubarak family really amass?

When Vice President Omar Suleiman on Friday announced Mubarak was stepping down, Egypt erupted in jubilation. In unprecedented demonstrations over 18 days, protesters across the country refused to back down until the president resigned.

Now even after his quiet exit, Mubarak remains a topic of conversation, with several local newspapers reporting 'rumours' about the final push that compelled him to relinquish power and the status of his health.

Reports of what happened behind the presidential walls on the last day of Mubarak's rule are grabbing people's attention, as they seemed to confirm people's earlier beliefs about how Mubarak's younger son, Gamal, was groomed to succeed his father.

Army sources told the German Press Agency dpa that Mubarak was supposed to announce his resignation in his last speech on Thursday, but it was changed a few hours before it was broadcast in a bid to save his post.

Mubarak was reportedly advised that if he handed over power to Suleiman then the protesters would go home.

According to the state-owned Al-Ahram daily, it was Gamal who convinced his father that such changes would appease the people.

Gamal and his older brother, Alaa, got into a heated argument, said government-owned daily Al-Akhbar, when Alaa accused his brother of dragging the country through the muck of corruption by helping his businessmen friends climb the political ladder.

Alaa, a businessman, stays out of the public eye and politics, unlike Gamal, who began his career as an investment banker until he became the head of the ruling party`s policy making committee in 2002.

Gamal`s alleged interference on Thursday evening only added to the anger on the streets, the paper said.

'I am telling you that as a president I find no shame in listening to my country`s youth and interacting with them,' Mubarak said Thursday in an 18-minute address that he said was 'a speech from the father to his sons and daughters.'

Preceded by great expectations, fueled by liberal members of Mubarak's National Democratic Party as well as the media, it was widely expected to be his resignation speech.

A few minutes later, the protesters` hopes were crushed.

The hundreds of thousands of people who had gathered in Cairo`s central Tahrir, or liberation, Square to hear the president speak were very quiet when he finished. Then a storm of rage erupted.

The fact that he shifted some of his powers to his deputy, meant he would still carry the flag as president until the next elections in September.

Furious protesters refused to leave the square. Thousands more headed to the presidential palace in east Cairo`s district of Heliopolis. Others surrounded the radio and television building in Cairo, the Ras El-Tin presidential palace in Alexandria, and hundreds took over municipality buildings in the port city of Suez.

Although sources deny there were any differences between Mubarak and the armed forces, they said in the end the army pressured him to leave.

'The army left them to protest even in front of his residence to prove to him that he was in fact out and there was no turning back,' army sources told dpa on condition of anonymity.

By Friday afternoon, the decision was made. Mubarak was promised protection in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he spent most of his time in recent years.

On Monday, his whereabouts and health were the subject of intense media speculation, The independent daily al-Masry al-Youm, quoting 'informed sources,' said the former president had lapsed into a coma Saturday evening in Sharm el-Sheikh.

The report highlighted 'rumours' that the 82-year-old Mubarak had 'fainted twice' during the recording Thursday of what would be his final address to the nation.

Reports of Mubarak`s deteriorating health have increased after his operation last year, where he had his gall bladder removed in Germany.

Some Egyptians feel sorry for him, while others are busy following the corruption files being opened against his former government for allegedly 'wasting and wrongfully allocating state assets.'

The Mubarak family`s wealth is also under the spotlight and has long been a subject of speculation. According to media reports, he and his family own more than 70 billion dollars` worth of assets.

As soon as he stepped down the Swiss government announced that it would identify and block any assets that may be held by Mubarak. According to the Swiss National Bank, Egyptian deposits in Swiss bank accounts totaled 3.7 billion dollars.

Now that the president has been toppled, most Egyptians would just like to get on with their lives and build a better future for Egypt.

They wait cautiously to see the next steps by the armed forces, which runs the country, and the not-so-welcome caretaker cabinet that was appointed on January 31.

They wait for what they fought for - free and fair elections and a president of their choice.

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