Gaddafi dead: lessons to dictators
Libyan Prime Minister has confirmed the death of his former Leader Muammary Gaddafi is a development many did not expect, as defiant as he seemed, many speculated he had already fled Libya. Only his son Saif Al Islam now remains a futigive.
The problem of Gaddafi was when he took Libya as a personal estate instead of a collective nation where everybody was equal just before God and every human being. For 40 plus years he ruled Libya with Iron fist and even forgot thata he never presented himself at the ballot for Libyans to decide after his 1969 coup.
I had the privilage of travelling to Libya in 2000 and what I saw, as I would see later in Egypt when Mrs Susan Mubarak addressed the youth was Gaddafi's insistence that he represented the youth through and through.
I was shell shocked when a black skinned Mauritanian told me when we run away from the posh Hotel Gaddafi had accomodated us to the market in Tripoli when I heard that all black skinned citizens or immigrants were treated s garbage.
It would be interesting how Gaddafi wanted use the same Africans almost 10 years later to shield him from his own people.
I read the Green book on my flight from Tripoli to Malta, there was nothing in it except a philosophy of a confused man. He claims to have found a solution of democracy or as he used to put it the State of the Masses- Jamahiriya.
After failing to dominate the Magreb Union, Gaddafi moved to the poor countries in Sub Saharan Africa, there he easily bought many of our money hungry leaders, that during my two week stay in Libya I almost counted 10 leaders virtually exchanging greetings at the Airport in Tripoli, with a Libyan rebel youth telling them he processed as much as USD200,000 dollars for personal gifts to our leaders.
He nearly purchased the Organistion of African Union and changed it to African Union and the circus at the launch in Durban continued, that our President Bakili Muluzi was so excited with the Gaddafi circus he declared a public holiday.
It was my second close encouter after keeping us hours of waiting in Sirte earlier in 2000, when I covered his visit to Civic Centre and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. He only signed the vistors book, but the rest of the tour he never really cared what he was being told nor did he pay attention to his host Vice President Justin Malewezi.
His illusion that he could became the President of United States of Africa, saw him agrresively interefere with national politics, making huge investments in countries to influence votes and more importantly directly injecting cash into political party campaigns.
All the waste came at a cost of the majority of Libyans being denied real freedoms, education that even its health care relied heavily on immigrant labour. Libyans were only rich by mouth of Gaddafi.
His end today signifies yet another reminder to dictators, that even if you stay 40 years, your own people and country would prevail. If I was an African leader I would wish to go out of power like Nelson Mandela, Joachim Chisano. Ketumile Masile, Fegus Mogae, Benjamin Mkapa, Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Daniel Arap Moi, Fredrick Chiluba, Rupiah Banda, Kenneth Kaunda, Olusegun Obasanjo and hundreds of others who form the great club of ex-rulers.
Going the Gaddafi way is surely an option for dictators like King Mswati the Third, Dos Santos of Angola, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Joseph Kabila of DR Congo, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Paul Biya of Cameroon, Menas Zenawi of Ethiopia, King Hassan of Morroco, Efawaki of Eritria and many others who believe money and power will protect them forver,
Gaddafi had over USD21 billion dollars but today lies in the streets of Sirte like a dog without home! Reject and killed by own people!
The problem of Gaddafi was when he took Libya as a personal estate instead of a collective nation where everybody was equal just before God and every human being. For 40 plus years he ruled Libya with Iron fist and even forgot thata he never presented himself at the ballot for Libyans to decide after his 1969 coup.
I had the privilage of travelling to Libya in 2000 and what I saw, as I would see later in Egypt when Mrs Susan Mubarak addressed the youth was Gaddafi's insistence that he represented the youth through and through.
I was shell shocked when a black skinned Mauritanian told me when we run away from the posh Hotel Gaddafi had accomodated us to the market in Tripoli when I heard that all black skinned citizens or immigrants were treated s garbage.
It would be interesting how Gaddafi wanted use the same Africans almost 10 years later to shield him from his own people.
I read the Green book on my flight from Tripoli to Malta, there was nothing in it except a philosophy of a confused man. He claims to have found a solution of democracy or as he used to put it the State of the Masses- Jamahiriya.
After failing to dominate the Magreb Union, Gaddafi moved to the poor countries in Sub Saharan Africa, there he easily bought many of our money hungry leaders, that during my two week stay in Libya I almost counted 10 leaders virtually exchanging greetings at the Airport in Tripoli, with a Libyan rebel youth telling them he processed as much as USD200,000 dollars for personal gifts to our leaders.
He nearly purchased the Organistion of African Union and changed it to African Union and the circus at the launch in Durban continued, that our President Bakili Muluzi was so excited with the Gaddafi circus he declared a public holiday.
It was my second close encouter after keeping us hours of waiting in Sirte earlier in 2000, when I covered his visit to Civic Centre and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. He only signed the vistors book, but the rest of the tour he never really cared what he was being told nor did he pay attention to his host Vice President Justin Malewezi.
His illusion that he could became the President of United States of Africa, saw him agrresively interefere with national politics, making huge investments in countries to influence votes and more importantly directly injecting cash into political party campaigns.
All the waste came at a cost of the majority of Libyans being denied real freedoms, education that even its health care relied heavily on immigrant labour. Libyans were only rich by mouth of Gaddafi.
His end today signifies yet another reminder to dictators, that even if you stay 40 years, your own people and country would prevail. If I was an African leader I would wish to go out of power like Nelson Mandela, Joachim Chisano. Ketumile Masile, Fegus Mogae, Benjamin Mkapa, Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Daniel Arap Moi, Fredrick Chiluba, Rupiah Banda, Kenneth Kaunda, Olusegun Obasanjo and hundreds of others who form the great club of ex-rulers.
Going the Gaddafi way is surely an option for dictators like King Mswati the Third, Dos Santos of Angola, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Joseph Kabila of DR Congo, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Paul Biya of Cameroon, Menas Zenawi of Ethiopia, King Hassan of Morroco, Efawaki of Eritria and many others who believe money and power will protect them forver,
Gaddafi had over USD21 billion dollars but today lies in the streets of Sirte like a dog without home! Reject and killed by own people!
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- Nalliah Thayabharan