After several days of peaceful democratic protests, the scene in Cairo has turned ugly as pro-Mubarak forces clash with anti-government demonstrators in a feign attempt to discredit the democratic uprising there. Although the military and police have taken the official position not to use force against protesters, it is clear that the gloves are now coming on both sides.
However, in a positive sign that this uprising is having a positive effect throughout the Muslim World, which mostly lives under the rule of authoritarian and deeply anti-democratic regimes, Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced he would not run for reelection. He made the following announcement that shows the region’s leaders are paying attention to the demands of citizens:
“He ordered the creation of a fund to employ university graduates and to extend social security coverage, increased wages and reduced income taxes and offered to resume a political dialogue that collapsed last October over elections. In answer to opposition complaints that voter records are rife with fraud, he said he would delay the April parliamentary elections until better records could be compiled.”
Even more surprisingly, Saleh announced his son would not run as well, raising many eye brows because his son was widely believed to be successor to this 32 year old dictatorship. The future leads to peace.