KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2: The government has been rapped for being 'indecisive' over plans to evacuate thousands of Malaysian students stranded in Egypt, which has been paralysed by days of massive protests demanding the resignation of president Hosni Mubarak.
PAS vice president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said as the situation in Cairo and other cities appeared to deteriorate, the government "should have taken immediate steps" because it may soon "run out of control". He urged the government to despatch its planes to evacuate over 10,000 Malaysian students there. Earlier, Indonesia sent specially chartered aircraft to Egypt to evacuate its 6,200 citizens. Malaysia, however, has yet to decide whether to use the navy’s auxiliary ship currently deployed in the Gulf of Aden to assist in the evacuation of its citizens. Tuan Ibrahim urged the government to prioritise the lives of Malaysians, and questioned its hesitation compared to the speed in which other governments had evacuated their peoples. “If our government can be so eager to participate in the missions for peace and security in foreign countries – why is it that our people’s safety is not the main priority? "The government must send special aircraft to bring our people back," he said.
On the political turmoil in Egypt, Tuan Ibrahim reiterated PAS's stand that only Mubarak and his officials' exit from the political scene would bring a solution. “We do not want to see Egyptians being the victims of outside intervention, like what had happened in Iraq, where because of one leader, the entire nation was destroyed,” he added. Meanwhile, a Bernama report said prime minister Najib Razak had finally decided to bring Malaysian students by air or sea out of Egypt. The decision was reached after receiving a report on the situation in Egypt from the Malaysian delegation led by deputy Foreign minister A. Kohilan Pillay and Najib’s political secretary Sahlan Ismail. "Some immediate measures will be taken to bring the students out of Egypt," Najib reportedly said, adding that a container ship that accommodates 500 students on its deck would arrive at the Port of Adabiya on February 5. Students not sent home? Najib said the government had requested Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia to make special flights for the purpose. “They (MAS and AirAsia) will inform me tomorrow on the possibility of using their aircraft for the mission," he added. A blog dedicated to the plight of Malaysian students in Egypt during the crisis also confirmed the report. However, it said the students in the port city of Alexandaria would not be sent to Malaysia, but to a "neighbouring country". “Students in Alexandaria have started packing and preparing to be evacuated from Egypt using flights. They will be sent to Egypt’s neighbouring country and not home,” it stated. | 
