Obama: People Must be Heard

KOMPAS.com - Bristling with impatience, US President Barack Obama has openly and sharply questioned whether Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's pledge to shift power to his Vice-President is an "immediate, meaningful or sufficient" sign of reform for a country in upheaval.

Without naming Mr Mubarak, Mr Obama issued a written statement that criticised the Egyptian leader for not offering clarity to his people or a concrete path to democracy.

He called on Egyptian government leaders to do so, declaring: "They have not yet seized that opportunity."

Mr Obama's comments came after Mr Mubarak, in a televised speech, refused to step down despite intense speculation that he was on the brink of ouster.

He said he was delegating powers to Vice-President Omar Suleiman, yet Mr Mubarak remained President and defiantly said he would so until a successor was elected to replace him in September. Protesters were shocked, saddened and enraged.

At the White House, Mr Obama scrambled with his national security team over how to respond to a speech that had left many surprised and even baffled.

In his statement, Mr Obama challenged Egypt's leaders to explain plainly what the new changes mean and how they would lead them to the freedoms or opportunities that had driven enormous crowds into the streets since late last month.

"Too many Egyptians remain unconvinced that the government is serious about a genuine transition to democracy," Mr Obama said, "and it is the responsibility of the government to speak clearly to the Egyptian people and the world."

Still, analysts and even US officials themselves acknowledge the White House has limited power to shape what Egypt does. Mr Obama devoted most of statement to the familiar calls by his government for Egypt to respect the rights of its people and to immediately negotiate a path to free elections.

The fast-changing developments capped 17 days of mass anti-government protests, the strongest challenge ever to Mr Mubarak's nearly 30 years of authoritarian rule.