How Long the Arab Tyrants will kill their People!

By Saeed Qureshi
There is a new paradigm and machination injected by the Arab tyrants to silence their agitating people. This is to use brutal force to suppress the uprising of the millions of the people against these ruthless, dynastic and dictatorial rulers.

It is an insult to the conscience of humanity and civil society that in this modern world of liberty, human rights and democracy, there are a handful of families that keep their societies as captives, treat them as their subjects and deprive them of their fundamental rights.

Almost now for three months, the whole Middle East and North Africa are rocked by revolt of the citizens against their despotic rulers who look like the imperialist monarchs of the past. The lives of these sovereigns are glamorous, extravagant, and lewd. Their regal lifestyles present a complete contrast to the abysmal and degrading lives of their citizens living in closed societies without basic fundamental human rights.

The dissention or freedom of expression is met with horrendous punishments. The people there have been repressed and kept in forced bondage by spine chilling brutalities and fear of horrid reprisals. These heartless autocrats survive on the miseries and submission, and intimidation of their people that they perpetrate on them incessantly.

There have been huge losses of human lives ever since these grassroots protests have jolted the Arab world. Instead that these autocrats mend their insidious ways and heed the imperatives of the time for a change by way of opening their societies, giving rights to their people and democratizing their countries; they are using the state machinery, lethal force and firepower to suppress their citizens.

In Yemen, the security forces, the police and army fire at the protestors increasing the toll of the casualties every day. In Syria the son of, Hafiz Al Assad, the butcher of Damascus is walking in the footsteps of his callous father who did not have the slightest compassion and compunction to kill their people. In Syria the government troops and police are indiscriminatly gunning down the people with least abandon and concern as to what were they were doing.

In Libya, a lunatic person ruling that country for over four decades with extreme brutality is not ready to surrender the power to the people so that a pluralistic democratic culture can be initiated. He is fighting against his own defenseless people calling for his ouster and for the country to join the rank of the civilized nations. The entire country has turned into a battlefield with harrowing destruction of infrastructure, buildings, oil refineries and ruination of economy.

The Egyptian army that initially showed a tilt towards the protestors has now fallen back upon the diabolic tactics of harboring the old order and keep sheltering the ousted disgraced dictator Hosni Mubarak. The army top brass has conveniently forgotten the underlying purpose of the people’s upsurge and is busy in diluting the objectives that spurred such colossal public outrage. The Egyptian protestors are once again converging on the famous Tehrir square, this time to mount protests against the caretaker set up of the army.

In Bahrain the inexorable might of the government is unleashed on the crowds that are keeping up their tempo of anger and outcry directed against the fiefdom and oligarchic rule of family. There is no let up in the merciless massacring of the protestors by the government’s military and para military forces. The protestors are undaunted even in the face of such callous barbarity while the government ferocity to curb and kill the protestors is also unabated.

These unpopular rulers want to protect the reprehensible status quo which means to continue with their imperialistic hold over the people and keep denying the latter the fruits and rights of a civilized society. The odious concepts of “Divine Right of Kings” or “Might is Right” are buried in the dustbin of history. If the upholders of these dynasties still try to rule like kings and absolute monarchs, then they should be ready for a frightening retribution sooner than later.

The moribund autocracies or authoritarian dispensations are the trees that no more grow over the lands because the soil is now fertile for representative governments. The people are now conscious and mindful of their rights, thanks to modern technology and universal awareness that is becoming a common feature.

For western countries that have been abetting one man or family regimes should now rethink and remodel their strategies. They ought to befriend and cultivate the masses and the people and not the discredited, waning and unacceptable autocracies that are destined to disappear in not too distant future.

The United States bears a moral and specific responsibility to rein in these desperate and roguish rulers to come to their senses, see the change around the world and submit to the will of their people. Otherwise there will be a civil war in the turbulent Arab lands that would entail the culture of guillotining the heads of the states or governments in full public view.

This is a very opportune time for the United States to be on the right side of history by supporting the people’s movements for a change in their systems of government based upon the consent of the people. Any delay or dithering would be counter-productive for their overseas national interests and would go down in history as token of hypocrisy, cant and double standards. They should not forget that ultimate power rests with the people.

The writer is a senior journalist and a former diplomat
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