FORTY YEARS OF GADDAFI
Aug 30th, 2009 by admin
A 27 -year old army officer seized power in Libya forty years ago. It was a bloodless coup, that man was Muammar Gaddaffi, he ousted the ageing King Idris who had been the country’s monarch since independence from Italy in 1951.
The transformation was direct, his blend of revolutionary Islam and nationalism brought him int direct conflict with the West. Twenty-five thousand Italians left Libya, Alcohol was banned. The Latin alphabet was replaced by Arabic.. He went ahead to forge ties with other Arab countries signing agreements with President Hafeez Assad of Syria and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt. He looked to the Soviet Union for an alliance and he found one, in the West he attracted hostility and in 1981 links with Britain were severed after a British Policewoman was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy.
Libya’s return to the international fold was further enhanced when Tripoli announced unexpectedly it would abandon its weapons of mass destruction programmes and agreed to shot-notice checks of its nuclear sites by U.N. inspectors. It was the end of international isolation for Libya. Gaddafi is now sharing the platform with world leaders, Gaddafi’s son, too is getting in on the act. Mutassim, who may take over from his father , made an official visit to the United States in April as Libya’s security adviser . U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told him she “looked forward to building on this relationship.” Oil companies from 17 countries gathered in Tripoli last year, eager to to do business with one of the world’s largest oil producers. That was followed by Libya’s first international defence and Security exhibition.
At the African level, as chairman of the African Union, Gaddafi is preaching African unity, greater cooperation between and among African countries,African solidarity and in fact African Union Government for Africa and one people, one African nation that will no longer be subservient to former colonies. On the other hand, he cares less for the component elements necessary for giving meaning to such African unity and solidarity
A vist to Libya shows you how Africa’s longest -serving leader, who is never shy when it comes to courting publicity is preparing to celebrate the 40th anniversary that brought him to power.
His image is reproduced in neon, on mosaics and across the sides of the hot-air balloons tethered in Green square in readiness for next Tuesday’s celebration.
“Do Libyans love their leader?” I asked one. “Yes” he replied without elaboration “Can you criticise him?” I asked. “No,” he replied. “What happens if you do?” I persisted. ” You go to jail,” he said
CULLED FROM THE GUARDIAN
