As an average Jane, I find it hard to imagine what’s going on in the head of an autocrat like Mubarak. I’m almost sold that he genuinely believed and, evidently, still believes that he was the “father” of the people of Egypt, and that he has put his country and people ahead of himself. I haven’t completely rejected this possibility either. It’s not my fault to fall for him. Guy looked like he was pouring his heart out when he talked on television, and if it were not for the evidence otherwise, like his cracking down the protest, his enormous family wealth, or angry Egyptian youth’s outcry, “Go away!”, I’d have felt like a bad person if I didn’t believe him. But again, there is still a slim chance that he did and still does believe that he is a good man, a “soldier,” who simply made a mistake, like every other human being. I’m not sure if the Egyptians will give him the “forgiveness” he asks for — giving back all his possession and participating in charity work can sound pretty noble or pretty hypocritical. Even for an autocrat (or perhaps especially for an autocrat, who’s often blinded by his/her own power), “his” people’s betrayal, rejection, and, the worst of all, oblivion are not that easy to swallow.
Now let’s get to the point. The revolutions in the Middle East has been followed by Chinese despite the government’s reluctance to inform its people and the general overtone of stressing “stability” in mainstream media in China. This morning, Chinese netizens on Sina Microblog have been talking about Mubarak’s plead for forgiveness, posting, reposting, and adding their comments to the conversation:
山杰跃: He didn’t have other choice. //@但斌：//@尚红科: He shouldn’t end up too bad, at least better than Ceausescu! // @神经领袖 : That’s why one shouldn’t be a leader for too long, Nasser and Sadat were both heroic characters in Egypt, but Mubarak hasn’t died but occupied the seat, and now he ended up like this.// @潘采夫 : // @尚红科 : What an ancient civilization! A long sigh
上海翻译公司: Autocrats can learn to walk down Mubarak’s road, don’t wait till there’s no way to go, and get his bones trampled by everybody//@简直: Forgive him, let the world give us a way out.
吴王真: Mubarak is still good.
东戈壁：//@949翔子: [This is] a global trend! //@新民周刊:// @沈嘉禄1001 : There are several powerful people like Mubarak worldwide, and now some of them are awake, or have to understand the state of affairs under people’s pressure. This tells something; you used to be the most powerful person, you could do whatever you want, you killed and owed your people much debt, but in the end you’re not as powerful as people, and time will tell. // The power of examples are infinite
pwj222: Rare character!//@靳冰岩: Worth learning from.//@王以超: Indeed, stepping down like this maybe will allow those who come after to accurately and objectively assess his historical achievements and wrong doings. //@谢文: Mubarak set an example for all the autocrats. When the time comes, those who should step down step down, and they still can shine for one more time and leave some trace in history.
cywater2000: //@王兴律师: Some still want to choose Kadafi’s road.//@韩国强: This will only have negative effects on Philistine politicians // @王以超: Indeed, stepping down like this, maybe will allow those who come after to accurately and objectively assess his historical achievements and wrong doing. //@谢文: Mubarak set an example for all the autocrats. When the time comes, those who should step down step down, and they still can shine for one more time and leave some trace in history.
上海俞险峰: Old brother Muarak, please take some time to talk to your old friends in China to let go as well. //@韩国强 //@谢文: Mubarak set an example for all the autocrats. When the time comes, those who should step down step down, and they still can shine for one more time and leave some trace in history.
山洞颠副: repost: @老榕: This time the report was fact, but it seems missing something… “Mubarak Will Apologize to People” http://t.cn/he6pDI
EllenBorough: Compared to Kadafi and the array of autocrats, Mubarak is a saint.
焚天2010: //@蒋丰: This way, hasn’t Susanne Mubarak become the janitor of the state reserve? And laid off too. //@五指山夫: They have to spit out what they’ve eaten.
Dr小刀: Mubarak is pleading for mercy, and Kadafi is also pleading for mercy. Their conditions are different, the times are different, and the backgrounds are different, so the results are different. The old friends of China, why are they all pleading for mercy? The is indeed very confusing, very confusing.
水牛漫步I: Don’t achieve too much!//@围观北京: Saddam, Mubarak, and Kadafi fell one after another, Li Guangyao and Castro stepped down, is our hope still far?// @野鸿2486 : Can our old friends set a good example?
