"THE VIEW FROM TAHRIR"By NICHOLAS KRISTOF
(Wartawan New York Times)
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Today President Mubarak seems to have decided to crack down on the democracy movement, using not police or army troops but rather mobs of hoodlums and thugs. I’ve been spending hours on Tahrir today, and it is absurd to think of this as simply “clashes” between two rival groups. The pro-democracy protesters are unarmed and have been peaceful at every step. But the pro-Mubarak thugs are arriving in buses and are armed — and they’re using their weapons.
In my area of Tahrir, the thugs were armed with machetes, straight razors, clubs and stones. And they all had the same chants, the same slogans and the same hostility to journalists. They clearly had been organized and briefed. So the idea that this is some spontaneous outpouring of pro-Mubarak supporters, both in Cairo and in Alexandria, who happen to end up clashing with other side — that is preposterous. It’s difficult to know what is happening, and I’m only one observer, but to me these seem to be organized thugs sent in to crack heads, chase out journalists, intimidate the pro-democracy forces and perhaps create a pretext for an even harsher crackdown.
I have no idea whether this tactic will work. But the idea that President Mubarak should make the case that he is necessary for Egypt’s stability by unleashing violence and chaos on his nation’s youth — it’s a sad and shameful end to his career. And I hope that the international community will firmly denounce this kind of brutality apparently organized by the government.
In my area of Tahrir, the thugs were armed with machetes, straight razors, clubs and stones. And they all had the same chants, the same slogans and the same hostility to journalists. They clearly had been organized and briefed. So the idea that this is some spontaneous outpouring of pro-Mubarak supporters, both in Cairo and in Alexandria, who happen to end up clashing with other side — that is preposterous. It’s difficult to know what is happening, and I’m only one observer, but to me these seem to be organized thugs sent in to crack heads, chase out journalists, intimidate the pro-democracy forces and perhaps create a pretext for an even harsher crackdown.
I have no idea whether this tactic will work. But the idea that President Mubarak should make the case that he is necessary for Egypt’s stability by unleashing violence and chaos on his nation’s youth — it’s a sad and shameful end to his career. And I hope that the international community will firmly denounce this kind of brutality apparently organized by the government.
...
Hari ini (Rabu, 2/2/11) Presiden Mubarak tampaknya telah memutuskan untuk menindak gerakan demokrasi, BUKAN dg menggunakan pasukan polisi atau tentara tetapi lebih GEROMBOLAN dari penjahat dan preman. Saya telah menghabiskan berjam-jam di Tahrir hari ini, dan tidak masuk akal untuk menganggap ini hanya sebagai "bentrokan" antara dua kubu yg berbeda. Para demonstran pro-demokrasi tidak bersenjata dan telah bertindak damai dlm di setiap langkah. Tapi preman pro-Mubarak yang tiba mereka bersenjata - dan mereka menggunakan senjata mereka.
Di daerah saya Tahrir, para preman dipersenjatai dengan parang, pisau, pentungan dan batu. Dan mereka semua memiliki nyanyian yang sama, slogan yang sama dan permusuhan yang sama kepada wartawan. Mereka jelas telah diatur dan diberi pengarahan. Jadi ide bahwa ini adalah tindakan spontan pendukung pro-Mubarak, baik di Kairo dan di Alexandria, jelas tidak masuk akal. Sulit untuk mengetahui apa yang sedang terjadi, dan aku hanya satu pengamat, tetapi bagi saya ini merupakan gerakan preman terorganisir yg dikirim untuk membuat rusuh, mengusir wartawan, mengintimidasi pasukan pro-demokrasi dan mungkin membuat dalih untuk sebuah tindakan keras yg lebih berat.
Aku tidak tahu apakah taktik ini akan bekerja. Tapi gagasan bahwa Presiden Mubarak melakukan apasaja yg menurut dia diperlukan untuk menjaga stabilitas Mesir dengan justru melepaskan kekerasan dan kekacauan pada pemuda bangsa-nya - ini sungguh akhir yang menyedihkan dan memalukan di akhir karirnya. Dan saya berharap bahwa komunitas internasional mengutuk keras aksi brutal yg tampaknya diatur oleh pemerintah ini.
*sumber: http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/the-view-from-tahrir/?src=tptw
*posted by: pkspiyungan.blogspot.com
