Politics should be for the welfare of the people and people alone and not for the benefit of an individual, a family, a group or clique or a party
| by M Marzook
Dear Friends,
(September 11, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) I am forwarding to you all the corrected version of my response to the e-mail I received on Libya:
Thank you for sending to me the e-mail regarding Libya and hope that you will permit me to make my comments too on Libya in the same good spirit as you have done. Before making my comments I wish to say a few words on my policy regarding politics and world affairs. That is: Politics should be for the welfare of the people and people alone and not for the benefit of an individual, a family, a group or clique or a party. Leadership is a responsibility bestowed on any individual or group by God and the leader/s service should be to satisfy the will of God.
With the above in mind I proceed to comment on Libya.
As a young Sri Lankan then, believing in progressive politics, I welcomed the revolution in Egypt led by Mahmud Nagib (The Architect of the Revolution) and Gamal Abdul Nasser (The Executor of the Revolution). Few other similar changes took place in the following years in the Arab and Middle East regions where many countries were ruled by Monarchies who were concerned only of themselves, benefitting by the rich natural resources, and left the people to suffer.
The Libyan revolution followed in early 1970s and the Muslims world-over hailed Gadaffi as a leader of the Muslim world after Nasser, or even more than the latter. I too was one of them. When Gadaffi came to Sri Lanka to attend the Non-aligned Conference, I went wherever he appeared cheering him led by the Late much respected Badiuddin Mahmud, Alavi Moulana and others.
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely and goes to destroy nations and its people, it is said. This came true in respect of Gadaffi too.
What is said in your e-mail as had been done under Gadaffi for the benefit of the Libyan people is not extended to all the people of Libya. 90% of such benefits are extended to the people of his own Tribe only who live in Tripoli, Smirte (Gadaffi’s Birth Place) and one or two others. What the over-whelming majority of the people get is the little that is trickled down to them.
True, Libya earns a vast amount of wealth by Oil export. It is well known that Gadaffi, his family and his cronies have accumulated most of this wealth for themselves. See the luxurious life his son Saif had in London. Besides donating the large sum to the London School of Economics he had a Multi-Million Pounds worth mansion together with other luxuries. His life style in London was shameful and unbecoming for a Muslim.
What about the foreign education of Gaddifi’s other children, including his legally qualified daughter Aisha, paid to Western countries from the wealth deprived to the needy Libyan people. What about Gadaffi family’s luxury mansions in Libya itself. Why should Gadaffi have a Chinese built underground Living accommodation and tunnel system. He had information through his vast intelligence system that the suffering people have started fuming, the volcano is about to erupt.
But still it was too late for him to correct himself. He has gone too deep in misrule. To save himself he started imprisoning in dungeons, torture, maiming and killing not hundreds but thousands of Libyans, not only those who were courageously and outwardly opposing him but even those whom he just suspected. The rebels were not a group of a few people, they were in thousands, no one had trained them to fight. They held the guns saying the words ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is Great) and fired and the untrained gunners hit their targets.
True some Western countries gave some help to the Libyan rebels but the initiative is from the long suffering Libyan people themselves. There is no doubt that even without any foreign help the people would have carried on with their struggle as they prepare to die for their cause. When the people are determined they do not need any foreign help or even guns and weapons. So it happened in Egypt when King Farouk was over-thrown and then Hosni Mubarak and his son. It happened in Tunisia. There was no West or the East to support the peoples’ uprising.
Observers of politics in the Arab and Middle East regions did not at all expect the Arab Spring to begin in Tunisia followed by Egypt. They expected it to begin in Libya. But something unexpected happened for the good of Libyan people and the Muslim world. If the start was in Libya Gadaffi and his family would have easily escaped to Tunisia or Egypt. Also the Tunisian and Egypt leaders would have taken pre-emptive steps to save their hold on power.
If Gadaffi has been a true leader of the people and ruled according to Islamic principles, how can he have so much of gold and foreign currency that have now been taken to neighbouring country of Niger to be used for the future needs of the Gadaffi family (Perhaps he wanted Gold for Libya’s exports so that he could take the Gold to a neighbouring country where he might seek sanctuary as no country in the West or even China and Russia would welcome him and where he can use Dollars or Pound Sterling)’.
Let us not forget that China and Russia are not the same old socialist countries they were, helping poor countries. They are now no different from the Western capitalist countries who are mainly interested in expanding their economic hold on other countries. Already China and Russia are talking to the Rebel Leadership in Libya to ensure that their (China’s and Russia’s) investments are safeguarded and continued.
By meeting Libyans, who have escaped from Gadaffi, in the Mosques that I visit in the UK, I come to know more of Gadaffi’s tyranny which is very distressing to me, as one who hailed Gadaffi as a true leader when he emerged. What is happening now in the Arab and Middle East region is a blessing to the people in those countries. Disappearing are the days that a leader is continued to be Hero-worshipped for some good he did but, taking cover this, resorts to many a corruption and misrule.
Of course there is hypocrisy in the attitudes of the West towards smaller countries. But we cannot blame the West for everything. Most of the tragedies of the small countries are the seeking of our own leaders and the people who are misled to trust such leaders. Now the misruled people are gradually beginning to realise and the wave of change has begun. It is not only an Arab Spring but an awakening to end the power of those who rule by tyranny, dictatorship and family bandyism even in other countries. IF ONE DOES NOT STRIVE TO CHANGE HIS OWN UNFORTUNATE PLIGHT EVEN GOD CANNOT HELP HIM...
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