CredoFiction: Wakdok, Samuel Stephen
Eunice and I met during my last semester at the University. I had spent all my years in school playing and wondering what it would be like to get a woman of my dreams that can hold me down. I am not extra ordinarily handsome but I am good enough to get the ladies catch a glimpse of me when ever I passed. In the evenings when I would don my sports wears and head to the badminton court to play the game I love so much, the ladies turned and whispered among themselves. They talked about my broad shoulders, my hairy legs and my stamina.
On this fateful day on my way to the court I over heard one of the ladies asking her friend what it would be like to have this guy all to herself. That was a naughty comment to make about a stranger I said to my self, I just winked a smile at the ladies to let them know I heard their gossip. They giggled and as she turned to escape; our eyes locked. I saw in her shyness a kind of beauty only a goddess could possess, but the beauty is concealed by her bulgy eyes at the face value .Here was I, priding my self as one of the most admired guys in my hostel which sits adjacent the female hostel. All I could do was mutter some few words; “hi I am Fabian, I didn't hear what you girls were gossiping about if you don't mind can you repeat?” That was the beginning of a relationship that will blossom into a wonderful love affair. Eunice was as beautiful within as she was without, she was the flower any sane man would want to wake up with and walk around with. She was the flower who never lost her stigma and her beauty was as wild as it was soft.
I graduated and left Eunice to complete her final year in school without me. The time spent during my service year was lonely because I had come to appreciate her place in my life. She gave me love and fun, she gave me a purpose too. The friends I left behind in school who thought Eunice would fall in love with other guys on campus after my graduation couldn’t believe how she remained faithful to our relationship and rather decided to have my friends as her friends with none of them doubting her fidelity to me. I wish the same could be said about me, but I continued in my frenzy ways hitherto to when I met Eunice. My calls reduced but hers increased. Some times I purposely refused to pick her calls, rather than getting discouraged, she only became more resilient. Months became a year and I was through with my service year and she too became a graduate. I was once again lucky to get a good job with a consulting firm, as hectic as the work schedule was; I didn’t relent in my Casanova ways and that only broke her heart the more. The period between her graduation and service was spent transiting on the road between her parents’ home and mine, she was always the good lady who washed and cooked but I remained a guy whose ox never stayed in a place. Of course I was polite enough to be discrete each time she was around, but I couldn’t completely hide all the traces, she knows about my escapades. She would cry and tell me how much she loves me which I knew was true. She would go ahead to tell me she was not desperate, how she can get any man she liked. In fact, many men were on her prowl but she was just simply in love with me and she grew more beautiful by the day so I could imagine how many men would want to give her their cards and how many more would have been willing to throw money at her not to talk of if she decided to love any of them unconditionally as she loved me. Unfortunately I am not a one woman’s man and no matter how I try to appreciate Eunice and admit the fact that I love her, the spectrum was too wide that I saw all shades of beautiful and sexy ladies and I couldn’t help cheating on Eunice. I went to the extent of consoling myself that I was not cheating on Eunice since I had not married nor proposed to her. That was taking her love too far?
Eunice completed her service year and because she came from an influential family, she got an immediate appointment as a corporate affairs officer with the National Gas Company. Her pay check was good and she was always traveling in and around the country. Meanwhile I had become a chattered Consultant and set up my own consulting agency dealing in Power and Energy. The money was coming and I was also meeting the right people; the liberalization of the two sectors by the government was a blessing to people like me who are pioneer consultants in the fields. Of course Eunice proved to be very helpful by aiding me to meet the top shots at National Gas Company, the ministries of Energy and Power who were very instrumental to my agency getting a lot of contracts both for advisory and training purposes. With more money came more ladies, with more wealth came more urge to indulge but Eunice would only complain, yet she never walked away.
Interestingly she never caught me in the very act with another lady, either because I was good at my game or she never bothered to bait me or even both. The truth remained that she knew what I was up to and I never denied either. We remained a charming couple and we always caught fun to ease off the tension of our works. My family especially my parents were very happy with Eunice and my only sister was very comfortable in her company. My sister would prefer to spend the weekend in Eunice’s house but because Eunice will be in my house, my sister often found excuses to drop in anytime during the weekends. Her father is a politician and though he seems to be in one meeting or another; or travel to one location or the other, he would always ask of me and when ever we met, he would tell me to drop by more often. We discussed political events both locally and internationally and he is a good analyst like he said I am one too.
Years rolled by and I could see she was becoming ready to settle down, but now more than ever my passion to make more wealth and fame was getting into my head. I was not keen about talking of marriage either with her or any other lady I was dating. I had this faith that Eunice was not going to run away, she was going to remain and that gave me the excess drive to drag foot. Eunice was growing more beautiful and she was climbing her career ladder. She had the beauty, the money, the position, and the family connection, but she was waiting for Fabian to initiate a marriage proposal. As days went by I saw her impatience grow but not a bit of desperation, yet I was not having the courage to settle down. I saw the money I was making and the freedom of bachelorhood as a gold mine to keep enjoying. On some occasions she had threatened to leave me alone but she always returned- her love for me was unequivocal. “Fabian, why are you not ready to discuss this issue? Do you want me to grow old and then you will get a younger lady? Am I compelling you to do what you don’t want to do? This is five years since we started dating, five years of relationship and you have no excuses. The money is there, we love each other, and our families are familiar with us, what exactly is the problem? Talk to me Fabian”
This time I saw the despair in her eyes, the tears came rolling but quickly she regained her composure and took her car keys. She let herself through the door and reversed her car driving away as gently as she came. I did not notice my key that she slipped through the door as she went out, she had returned my key without my knowledge. She picked my calls whenever I called but she was not calling any longer. She stopped visiting too and it became more difficult to track her. She had a very tight schedule at work but she always created time for me, she had simply plugged me out of her schedules and was busy running her life as corporately as ever. She will come back as usual I said to myself. This time, it slowly began to dawn on me that she had moved on, but not until my mum asked me about the last time I saw Eunice did it occur to me that she got tired and had walked away.
I made frantic efforts to see Eunice and I was told she had traveled out for an International Conference of Global Gas and Clean Energy Summit in Doha. The conference was to last for 5 days and she would proceed on her annual leave to Tahiti. Eunice spent her previous vacations in Nigeria because of me, each time she asked me to plan my work so we could go on vacation outside the country I was always coming up with excuses, this time around she had freed herself from my yoke and was determined to give herself the treat she deserved after working so hard.
I became lovesick for the first time, and all the ladies I met did not seem to replace Eunice. Eunice had this beauty blended with humility. She was a good cook and not the lazy type. She was friendly to everyone and my mom had particularly told me it is not every day a man gets a lady with all those qualities in one person. Now I am beginning to see what I am going to miss. It won’t be until another three weeks before her expected return and it was too long a time to wait. I braved it and went to her mother for an international number to call her, I guess she must have discussed with her mother because I saw it in the woman’s eyes. The mom was not hostile but it was evident in her eyes that her daughter had been patient enough with me, hence I deserved what I got since I was not serious enough to know what I had in my hands until she slipped away.
“Fabian it is good to hear from you again, hope you are fine?’
“Eunice, how can I be fine when you bolted out on me?”
I could hear the laughter at the other end but it was not funny to my ears
“How did I bolt out, you were holding out against me and after five years I knew I couldn’t take it any more. I decided to leave you alone because as you know I am not a desperate lady. I have all it takes to get me a serious minded man for a husband, but love made me stick with you all these years. Since the love cannot be returned by you, I have made a clean break for myself. I had to come to terms with the fact that a relationship can not end in a relationship; it either ends up in marriage or it ends. Since I do not have the power to unilaterally make it end in marriage, I did the one that is in my power. A relationship is like a cheque; it is either good for payment and given value or it is not good for payment and returned. It cannot remain in transit for ever.”
“Eunice we can still talk about this, please when will you return to Nigeria?”
“Fabian I just got a job with OPEC in Geneva; I may not be coming back soon. I had severally refused to take this job offer because I did not want to live away from you, but as you can see I have made a break from the past and my relocation to Geneva is to allow me continue with my life. I have been patient, I have endured all your escapades, stomach all your secret girl friends, I have waited and prayed for the day your eyes will be opened to see what hurt you are causing me, time did not stop, it kept moving till five years without any seriousness on your part. You had me as a last card to run back to if and when you get tired, I was not in a hurry to leave but it was obvious you are not going to get tired and Fabian , unfortunately I have taken enough, my mind is made. I have walked away.”
That was when I finally realized that I gave Eunice a cheque that bounced severally until it went stale. Frantic attempts to get Eunice have a change of mind yielded nothing positive; the strength she used to love me is the same strength she is using to put my chapter behind her.
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Tuesday, February 15, 2011
MUBARAK’S DATES WITH HISTORY: THE PRESIDENT WHO BECAME A MONARCH.
CredoWriters: Wakdok, Samuel Stephen.
President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak has dates with history. His 30years rule on the presidential throne faces the greatest challenge. How he comes out of this will determine how the final history about him will be written or how he will write his final history. Thirty years or three decades is a long time when you consider that six US Presidents have ruled within this period, four of which ruled for 2 terms of four years with only George Bush Snr. ruling for one term and Barrack Obama still in his first term. To identify the three decades of his rule we iterate three years of each decade on world history with particular impact to the Arab world/Middle east using a 3 by 4 matrix of years 1979,1980,1981; years 1989,1990,1991; years 1999,2000,2001 and years 2009,2010,2011 which is the year of the final show down.
Egypt is one of the world’s oldest civilizations with a long known history of its Pharaohs, Mummies and Pyramids. It is the only non-maghreb nation in North Africa
Egypt is the most populated Arab country in the world with 80million citizens. 90 percent are Moslems, 9 percent Coptic Christians and 1 percent other Christians. Its three principal cities are Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. Its strategic geographical location especially after the construction of the Suez Canal connecting the red sea with the Mediterranean Sea makes it the shortest route between the west and the east. The Mediterranean climate is a warm invitation to tourists from all over the world.
Cell One:
The Iranian Revolution of 11/2/1979 opened a new chapter in the history of Middle East. The Islamic revolution over threw the Shah of Iran (Formerly Persia) and Ayatollah Khomeini became the supreme leader of the Islamic republic of Iran. On 4/5/1979 Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. On 22/9/1980 the eight year Iraq-Iran war broke out. The United States would go on to back Iraq in the war against the Islamic Republic of Iran. President Ronald Reagan was sworn in for his first term as US President on 20/1/1981. Pope John Paul was shot in an attempted assassination on 13/5/1981 and Princess Charles of Wales married Dianna Spencer on 29/7/1981. Suddenly Anwar Sadat was assassinated on 6/10/1981 for signing a peace treaty with Israel by Khalid Islambouli an Islamic hardliner. Mubarak who was the Vice President became the President. This era marked the height of cold war between the West and Soviet Union, a bi polar world with two super powers the USA and the USSR; this period witness a stern competition between Capitalism and Marxism. Black and white TV was in vogue, analogue Telephone was the means of communication. There was a serious expansion of multi national corporations leading to internalization of capital. The Mafia in Italy and America were at their worst. Our age brackets were either toddlers or not born.
Cell Two:
The Tiananmen Square protest in China which led to the massacre of Chinese protesters took place on 4/6/1989; brave Chinese faced the tanks of the China’s red army. General Omar Al-Bashir came to power in an Islamist backed coup on 30/6/1989. He introduced Sharia law across Sudan which has Christians and animists in the south, this escalated the second civil war in Sudan; once again bringing the matter of political Islam to the fore. Sudan is Egypt’s neighbor to the south and the largest country in Africa in terms of land mass. The Berlin wall fell on 9/11/1989 signaling the collapse of the iron curtain. Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years in prison on 11/2/1990. (The CIA had earlier caused his arrest by the South African Apartheid regime in 1963)
On 2/8/1990 Saddam Hussein of Iraq invaded Kuwait. Margaret Thatcher resigns as British Prime Minister on 22/11/1990 after been forced out by her own Conservative party. The Invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein led to the outbreak of the Persian Gulf War 1 code named Operation Desert Storm on 17/1/1991. The US army (which supported Iraq during the Iraq-Iran war) led the invasion of Iraq and fighting on the same side with the Soviet army for the first time.
The Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party was thrown out on 26/1/1991 and Somali Dictator Siad Barre fled to Nigeria. That was the last time Somalia had a functional government and Islamist rebel groups have been battling the Fragile AU backed government; Somalia is the world’s number one failed state.
The final collapse of the USSR on 31/12/1991 led to a unipolar world with the USA as the single world super power. Iraq was the dominant Arab military power and the world witnessed increasing shift towards market economy with structural adjustments for developing economies. Digital Telephone followed coloured TV supported by Satellite TV. Our age brackets were either in primary or secondary schools.
Cell Three:
On 6/9/1999 Mubarak survived another assassination attempt. Ivory Coast the then most stable West African country witnessed its first military coup on 25/12/1999 when General Guei ousted President Henri Bedi, this will degenerate into a civil war between 2002 and 2004. Boris Yeltsin of Russian resigned on 31/12/1999 paving way for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to beome the Russian President on 1/1/2000. The Camp David Accord ii pushed by President Bill Clinton was signed on 11/7/2000 and this was meant to be the final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. George Bush Jnr became the US president on 20/1/2001.The terrorist attack on the WTO centre and Pentagon in USA took place on 11/9/2001 and this redefined the global war on terror. The CIA trained Osama Bin Laden becomes the most wanted man in the world. The United States believed Bin Laden was hiding in the mountains of Afghanistan and they invaded the country on 20/11/2001 to remove the Taliban government in response to the twin bombings of world trade centre in New York. This era raised the stake on international terrorism and globalization became the order of the day. Russia under Putin will rise from the ashes of the Soviet Union to be a major player. The introduction of email and GSM revolutionized communication, and cables overtook satellite TV. Our age brackets were between secondary and tertiary schools.
Cell Four:
Barrack Obama was sworn in as the first black President of the US on 19/1/2009. On 12/06/2009 Iran held an election which was disputed by the opposition sparking a mass protest which was quelled by the use of force. The Supreme Leader of Iran Ayotollah Khameni backs radical President Ahmadinejad. David Cameron of the conservative party became the youngest Prime Minister in Great Britain on 11/5/2010 and the first coalition in 70 years. In Ivory Coast two men each claiming the rights to be Presidents swore themselves in as Presidents on 4/12/2010. This was the aftermath of a disputed election held to reunite the Ivory Coast after a bitter civil war which tore the country into two; the rebel controlled Moslem north and the government controlled Christian south.
On 17/12/2010 Mohammed Bouazizi set himself ablaze in Tunisia sparking street protest on the high cost of living and high unemployment in Tunisia he died on 4/1/2011. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which ended the Sudanese civil war fixed 9/1/2011 to 15/1/2011 for a referendum to take place in the autonomous Southern Sudan and South Sudanese overwhelmingly voted for succession from the repressive Moslem North.
The Protest in Tunisia spread to Algeria and Tunisian ex-President Ben-Ali was ousted as he flees Tunisia on 15/1/2011 to Saudi Arabia. Dubbed the Jasmine revolution, the Tunisian revolution was a people’s revolt without a leader. The Domino effect of the Tunisian protest resonated in Jordan, Algeria, Yemin and Egypt. Irked by the dictatorial and corrupt regimes in the Arab world the people decided to take to the streets. Unlike the Islamic revolution of 1979 in Iran, this is a people’s protest, though it gives the banned Islamists parties an opportunity to come back to the political scene of their countries. The revolution in social media like face book and twitter helped to mobilize protesters and aggravate the demonstrations. The recent economic meltdown makes this era one of austerity and bail outs.
Mubarak Appointed former Intelligence chief Omar Suleyman on 29/1/2011 as his Vice President the first in his 30 years rule, this has knocked off his Son Gamel out of the succession line and may pave way for an Egyptian Transition. The rising profile of China is a big challenge to the western powers and Iran is the dominant Power in the Arab region. Our age brackets are either getting married or some have become parents.
Improbabilities:
Prince William son of Prince Charles and Diana who wedded in 1981 when Mubarak became president will marry Kate Middleton in West Minister Abbey (London) on 29/4/2011. Kate is presently wearing Princess Diana’s engagement ring, Prince William was not born when Mubarak became the Egyptian President. Will Mubarak defy all odds and still be the President of Egypt on the wedding day?
Pope John Paul II who survived an assassination attempt in 1981 the same year Mubarak became President will be beatified by the Roman Catholic Church, a step to sainthood on 1/5/2011
Will Mubarak the President who became a king still be on his throne to witness the beatification of Pope John Paul II?
South Sudan or any name it will be called will become the world’s newest country on 9/7/2011 splitting Egypt’s Southern neighbour into two.
What ever the outcome will be, whether Mubarak will remain the President or not, he has a place as the longest serving ruler of Egypt since Ismail and he has played a very vital role in stabilizing the turbulent Middle East by been an ally of Israel. Iran of course is spreading its influence in the region and as a sworn enemy of Israel, Iran will be happy to see Mubarak go, that is why despite quelling its own revolt in 2009 by force; Iran is urging Mubarak to listen to the voice of its people. The United States has always had Mubarak as an ally; the hypocrites that they are, U.S. now says it stands with the People of Egypt. With a Hezbollah led Government in Lebanon, Iran’s influence is growing in the region and Israel will loose another ally in the region if Mubarak is forced out. The Israeli Prime Minister fears Egypt may end up with a radical Islamic government like that of Iran. The banned opposition Moslem Brotherhood may win election in the nearest future if not now.
The outcome of 1/2/2011 one million man march in Tahrir square and the general strikes called by the April 6th Movement (a face book based protest movement started in 2008) will determine if the ex air force officer who became the President and eventually became a king will either make history or will be marred by history. Until then, Mubarak has a lot of dates with history. If only he left office before now, will he be on this brink?
Eplilogue
On the 11/02/2011 other wise written as 11/02/11 Mubarak steps down. He will not make the dates of the royal wedding, canonisation or independence of a new nation. However that was the same day as 11/02/1979 when the royal regime in Iran collapsed after guerrillas armed rebel troops loyal to the Islamists overwhelmed troops loyal to the Shah in armed street fighting. It is also celebrated yearly as Islamic Revolution’s Victory day with a national holiday in Iran.
Powered by CredoWorld Media for Credo Library
1/2/2011
President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak has dates with history. His 30years rule on the presidential throne faces the greatest challenge. How he comes out of this will determine how the final history about him will be written or how he will write his final history. Thirty years or three decades is a long time when you consider that six US Presidents have ruled within this period, four of which ruled for 2 terms of four years with only George Bush Snr. ruling for one term and Barrack Obama still in his first term. To identify the three decades of his rule we iterate three years of each decade on world history with particular impact to the Arab world/Middle east using a 3 by 4 matrix of years 1979,1980,1981; years 1989,1990,1991; years 1999,2000,2001 and years 2009,2010,2011 which is the year of the final show down.
Egypt is one of the world’s oldest civilizations with a long known history of its Pharaohs, Mummies and Pyramids. It is the only non-maghreb nation in North Africa
Egypt is the most populated Arab country in the world with 80million citizens. 90 percent are Moslems, 9 percent Coptic Christians and 1 percent other Christians. Its three principal cities are Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. Its strategic geographical location especially after the construction of the Suez Canal connecting the red sea with the Mediterranean Sea makes it the shortest route between the west and the east. The Mediterranean climate is a warm invitation to tourists from all over the world.
Cell One:
The Iranian Revolution of 11/2/1979 opened a new chapter in the history of Middle East. The Islamic revolution over threw the Shah of Iran (Formerly Persia) and Ayatollah Khomeini became the supreme leader of the Islamic republic of Iran. On 4/5/1979 Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. On 22/9/1980 the eight year Iraq-Iran war broke out. The United States would go on to back Iraq in the war against the Islamic Republic of Iran. President Ronald Reagan was sworn in for his first term as US President on 20/1/1981. Pope John Paul was shot in an attempted assassination on 13/5/1981 and Princess Charles of Wales married Dianna Spencer on 29/7/1981. Suddenly Anwar Sadat was assassinated on 6/10/1981 for signing a peace treaty with Israel by Khalid Islambouli an Islamic hardliner. Mubarak who was the Vice President became the President. This era marked the height of cold war between the West and Soviet Union, a bi polar world with two super powers the USA and the USSR; this period witness a stern competition between Capitalism and Marxism. Black and white TV was in vogue, analogue Telephone was the means of communication. There was a serious expansion of multi national corporations leading to internalization of capital. The Mafia in Italy and America were at their worst. Our age brackets were either toddlers or not born.
Cell Two:
The Tiananmen Square protest in China which led to the massacre of Chinese protesters took place on 4/6/1989; brave Chinese faced the tanks of the China’s red army. General Omar Al-Bashir came to power in an Islamist backed coup on 30/6/1989. He introduced Sharia law across Sudan which has Christians and animists in the south, this escalated the second civil war in Sudan; once again bringing the matter of political Islam to the fore. Sudan is Egypt’s neighbor to the south and the largest country in Africa in terms of land mass. The Berlin wall fell on 9/11/1989 signaling the collapse of the iron curtain. Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years in prison on 11/2/1990. (The CIA had earlier caused his arrest by the South African Apartheid regime in 1963)
On 2/8/1990 Saddam Hussein of Iraq invaded Kuwait. Margaret Thatcher resigns as British Prime Minister on 22/11/1990 after been forced out by her own Conservative party. The Invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein led to the outbreak of the Persian Gulf War 1 code named Operation Desert Storm on 17/1/1991. The US army (which supported Iraq during the Iraq-Iran war) led the invasion of Iraq and fighting on the same side with the Soviet army for the first time.
The Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party was thrown out on 26/1/1991 and Somali Dictator Siad Barre fled to Nigeria. That was the last time Somalia had a functional government and Islamist rebel groups have been battling the Fragile AU backed government; Somalia is the world’s number one failed state.
The final collapse of the USSR on 31/12/1991 led to a unipolar world with the USA as the single world super power. Iraq was the dominant Arab military power and the world witnessed increasing shift towards market economy with structural adjustments for developing economies. Digital Telephone followed coloured TV supported by Satellite TV. Our age brackets were either in primary or secondary schools.
Cell Three:
On 6/9/1999 Mubarak survived another assassination attempt. Ivory Coast the then most stable West African country witnessed its first military coup on 25/12/1999 when General Guei ousted President Henri Bedi, this will degenerate into a civil war between 2002 and 2004. Boris Yeltsin of Russian resigned on 31/12/1999 paving way for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to beome the Russian President on 1/1/2000. The Camp David Accord ii pushed by President Bill Clinton was signed on 11/7/2000 and this was meant to be the final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. George Bush Jnr became the US president on 20/1/2001.The terrorist attack on the WTO centre and Pentagon in USA took place on 11/9/2001 and this redefined the global war on terror. The CIA trained Osama Bin Laden becomes the most wanted man in the world. The United States believed Bin Laden was hiding in the mountains of Afghanistan and they invaded the country on 20/11/2001 to remove the Taliban government in response to the twin bombings of world trade centre in New York. This era raised the stake on international terrorism and globalization became the order of the day. Russia under Putin will rise from the ashes of the Soviet Union to be a major player. The introduction of email and GSM revolutionized communication, and cables overtook satellite TV. Our age brackets were between secondary and tertiary schools.
Cell Four:
Barrack Obama was sworn in as the first black President of the US on 19/1/2009. On 12/06/2009 Iran held an election which was disputed by the opposition sparking a mass protest which was quelled by the use of force. The Supreme Leader of Iran Ayotollah Khameni backs radical President Ahmadinejad. David Cameron of the conservative party became the youngest Prime Minister in Great Britain on 11/5/2010 and the first coalition in 70 years. In Ivory Coast two men each claiming the rights to be Presidents swore themselves in as Presidents on 4/12/2010. This was the aftermath of a disputed election held to reunite the Ivory Coast after a bitter civil war which tore the country into two; the rebel controlled Moslem north and the government controlled Christian south.
On 17/12/2010 Mohammed Bouazizi set himself ablaze in Tunisia sparking street protest on the high cost of living and high unemployment in Tunisia he died on 4/1/2011. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which ended the Sudanese civil war fixed 9/1/2011 to 15/1/2011 for a referendum to take place in the autonomous Southern Sudan and South Sudanese overwhelmingly voted for succession from the repressive Moslem North.
The Protest in Tunisia spread to Algeria and Tunisian ex-President Ben-Ali was ousted as he flees Tunisia on 15/1/2011 to Saudi Arabia. Dubbed the Jasmine revolution, the Tunisian revolution was a people’s revolt without a leader. The Domino effect of the Tunisian protest resonated in Jordan, Algeria, Yemin and Egypt. Irked by the dictatorial and corrupt regimes in the Arab world the people decided to take to the streets. Unlike the Islamic revolution of 1979 in Iran, this is a people’s protest, though it gives the banned Islamists parties an opportunity to come back to the political scene of their countries. The revolution in social media like face book and twitter helped to mobilize protesters and aggravate the demonstrations. The recent economic meltdown makes this era one of austerity and bail outs.
Mubarak Appointed former Intelligence chief Omar Suleyman on 29/1/2011 as his Vice President the first in his 30 years rule, this has knocked off his Son Gamel out of the succession line and may pave way for an Egyptian Transition. The rising profile of China is a big challenge to the western powers and Iran is the dominant Power in the Arab region. Our age brackets are either getting married or some have become parents.
Improbabilities:
Prince William son of Prince Charles and Diana who wedded in 1981 when Mubarak became president will marry Kate Middleton in West Minister Abbey (London) on 29/4/2011. Kate is presently wearing Princess Diana’s engagement ring, Prince William was not born when Mubarak became the Egyptian President. Will Mubarak defy all odds and still be the President of Egypt on the wedding day?
Pope John Paul II who survived an assassination attempt in 1981 the same year Mubarak became President will be beatified by the Roman Catholic Church, a step to sainthood on 1/5/2011
Will Mubarak the President who became a king still be on his throne to witness the beatification of Pope John Paul II?
South Sudan or any name it will be called will become the world’s newest country on 9/7/2011 splitting Egypt’s Southern neighbour into two.
What ever the outcome will be, whether Mubarak will remain the President or not, he has a place as the longest serving ruler of Egypt since Ismail and he has played a very vital role in stabilizing the turbulent Middle East by been an ally of Israel. Iran of course is spreading its influence in the region and as a sworn enemy of Israel, Iran will be happy to see Mubarak go, that is why despite quelling its own revolt in 2009 by force; Iran is urging Mubarak to listen to the voice of its people. The United States has always had Mubarak as an ally; the hypocrites that they are, U.S. now says it stands with the People of Egypt. With a Hezbollah led Government in Lebanon, Iran’s influence is growing in the region and Israel will loose another ally in the region if Mubarak is forced out. The Israeli Prime Minister fears Egypt may end up with a radical Islamic government like that of Iran. The banned opposition Moslem Brotherhood may win election in the nearest future if not now.
The outcome of 1/2/2011 one million man march in Tahrir square and the general strikes called by the April 6th Movement (a face book based protest movement started in 2008) will determine if the ex air force officer who became the President and eventually became a king will either make history or will be marred by history. Until then, Mubarak has a lot of dates with history. If only he left office before now, will he be on this brink?
Eplilogue
On the 11/02/2011 other wise written as 11/02/11 Mubarak steps down. He will not make the dates of the royal wedding, canonisation or independence of a new nation. However that was the same day as 11/02/1979 when the royal regime in Iran collapsed after guerrillas armed rebel troops loyal to the Islamists overwhelmed troops loyal to the Shah in armed street fighting. It is also celebrated yearly as Islamic Revolution’s Victory day with a national holiday in Iran.
Powered by CredoWorld Media for Credo Library
1/2/2011
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