Over the past three weeks, the media has focused mainly on former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s wrongdoings. Meanwhile, little to no attention has been given to his accomplishments during his reign, which include peace, regional stability, and promotin of economic development. Given his dedicated service to the country during his time in the Egyptian Air Force and his continuous effort to bring and preserve peace in the Middle East, Mubarak deserved a dignified exit as president of Egypt.
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, shown here at his inauguration in 1981, was ousted by protesters on Feb. 11 after three decades in power. (AP)
Hosni Mubarak became the president of Egypt in 1981 following the assassination of then-President Anwar Sadat. The assassins were Muslim extremists who considered Sadat a traitor for signing a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. The treaty was courageously upheld by Mubarak during his entire 30 years in office. As a result, Egypt received some $2 billion in aid from the United States every year, and became one of its most important allies in the Middle East.
Mubarak also consistently urged for peace in the Middle East, and on numerous occasions mediated negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. He worked side by side with the U.S. on a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.
Mubarak also worked tirelessly to improve Egypt’s relations with its Arab neighbors. In 1989, he was able to restore Egypt’s membership to the Arab League, which had kicked Egypt out after signing the treaty with Israel. In that same year, the League’s headquarters were also moved back to Cairo.
Egypt’s economy also experienced impressive economic growth under Mubarak’s reign. Since 2004, Mubarak’s economic team had reduced tariffs and taxes, improved transparency of the national budget, and passed economic legislation designed to reduce bureaucratic obstacles to business and stimulate private sector economic growth. Between 2005 and 2008, the economy grew at a steady seven percent. The World Bank also currently rates Egypt as the 18th easiest state in which to start a business.
However, in reality, the success of the economy did not seem to trickle down to the common Egyptian citizen. It is undeniable that the country and most of its people suffered severely under Mubarak as well. Egyptians had every right to protest for their freedom. Under Mubarak’s watch, public corruption, sectarian violence, poverty, high inflation and high food prices were ignored. His crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood also came at the expense of most citizens. He enforced emergency laws, which allowed the police to arrest citizens without warrants for almost his entire presidency.
In his last speech, Mubarak admitted that he had made mistakes over the years. According to Mona DeBaz, a professor of political science at John Carroll University, “Mubarak’s downfall began when he lost legitimacy among his people. Over time, Egyptians felt that Mubarak did not have the right to rule them anymore.”
However, before he resigned, Mubarak vowed that he would use his last months as president to correct those mistakes. He began by firing his cabinet, appointed a vice-president and a new prime minister.
While Egypt seemed to be on the road to a smooth transition of power, Mubarak decided to satisfy the demands of the people and stepped down on Feb. 11. Despite criticism for all his wrongdoings, his dedication to preserving peace in the Middle East and to serving his country should not be forgotten.
