Mubarak's Speech (Transcript):

[tekisui]

Hosni Mubarak Speech (February 1st, 2011 at ~11PM Cairo Time)

Fellow citizens, I speak to you in very difficult times – Egypt and people were tested and we were thrown into the unknown! Nation was put under hard tests beginning with youth and honorable citizens – expressing their demands and worries. Soon though chaos ensued and violence ensued and breaking of constitution… Some of the elements tried to express themselves freely but there were political forces pouring oil on the fire by creating havoc through looting, creating fires, taking state property, private property, etc etc..

We are living in difficult times – with the fear that overcame the majority of Egyptians and the hysteria around them, and their fear for their families and futures. The past few days, have forced us as a nation and leadership to make choices between chaos and stability and the options are put before us - we face a new changing reality and want the army and people to work with us to promote the best for Egypt and its children.

I have begun putting a new government with new priorities – that is responding to the youth’s requests. And I put a VP that will help lead the improvements democratically and constitutionally for the sake of making these changes and restoring order.

However there are political parties that refused these requests to speak due to holding onto their private interests forgoing the public good. And looking at this rejection to speech, an invitation that will not always be there, I will speak now directly to the people to the farmers and workers, Muslims and Christians, sheikhs and youth and to every Egyptian in city and rural on all its lands..

The people know the hard times I have taken responsibility in and what I offered the country in times of peace and war! I am a son of the armed services and not of the people who forgo responsibility – my first responsibility is providing security to the country to peacefully transition the power in a safe way for Egypt and give the country to those who Egypt chose in the coming elections

I say this with all truth and independent of the current events – I will not run in new election! I have done enough at the service of Egypt and its people but am wanting to close my service to the country in a good, safe way that keeps the constitution and ensures security.

I will say in clear ways what I will do in the coming months to ensure peaceful transition and fixing the constitution. Parliament will be use articles 67 and 77 from the constitution, fixing the way that people are elected to president and imposing term limits! And the current parliament will debate these constitutional changes and what comes from it to the complete laws of the law – in an attempt to include opposition, I ask parliament to fix the errors from last election without any issues.
The parliament should work to improve the situation, to improve employment, decrease poverty and improve public good. The police will also be working for the people and protecting the citizen with honor and control and respect for their rights and freedoms and dignity.

I also ask the security services that they take care and find out the people who did this, and find those who did the bad things and protect the good people. This is my promise to the people in my coming few months, I hope that god gives me the strength.

My fellow citizens, Egypt will leave these hard times stronger than it was before. More confident and more stable. The people will exit knowing better what they want and more aware of controlling their destiny and future.

So Hosni Mubarak who speaks to you today, cares a lot for the people he has served for year! This great country is my country , the same way it is every Egyptian’s country – I lived here, and waged war for it and fought for the people and I will die on its land and history will be the judge me.

While the people may come and go the country will remain and its security is in the hands of its children, and god has protected this country generation after generation.

[SharonAnn]

1. Oh yeah. That'll do it. NOT!!!!

[JuniperLea]

2. "I will die on its land and history will be the judge me"

I hope he isn't tempting the fates with this bit.

It's too late for these lies; we already know what went down.

[Junkdrawer]

3. This is ominous:

"I also ask the security services that they take care and find out the people who did this, and find those who did the bad things and protect the good people. This is my promise to the people in my coming few months, I hope that god gives me the strength."

Betcha the "security services" won't find that the looters were actually goons hire by Mubarak.

[blondeatlast]

5. Yeah, that really stood out. In the universal language of nuance,

Mubarek just made a confession...

[blondeatlast]

4. Yeah, that'll work just about as well as it did for this guy:

"I am not a crook."

[lumberjack_jeff]

6. Orderly, systematic transition is necessary for any functional society.

Throwing out despots on the tip of a pitchfork usually only serves to replace him with the equally despotic guy holding the pitchfork.

If Mubarak can deliver peaceful transition within the next four months, I'm willing to give him some credit.