Gaddafi versus the people . . . it was clear from the start, that there would be only one loser, Gaddafi, himself.
No leader, however much he may fancy himself, can win the ultimate fight against the people once they set their minds on freedom. And, the civilised world no longer just stands, arms folded.
At age 27, Muammar Gaddafi overthrew King Idris to become the supreme ruler of Libya. He never gave the people an opportunity to choose their own leaders democratically.
He simply imposed his rule by the gun, and by the gun, he has now fallen. He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword!
History is replete with rulers who make the same sad miscalculations.
Gaddafi was a delusional ruler, a daydreamer who even authored his own developmental “bible” — the Green Book, a nonsensical anthology of an unbalanced mind. His Arab League brothers gave up on this man.
His loot, stolen from the people, and stashed in the United States alone is in excess of US$30 billion and US$8 billion in gold.
He has a lot of assets in the UK and in many African countries. All this is contraband, stolen from his country, Libya, where millions live in poverty.
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His sons and family members are multi-billionaires in their own right.
During his high-tide times Gaddafi had expansionist ideas of merging several countries, like Egypt, Tunisia and Syria and proposing to be the ruler.
He even pushed for an agenda for merging African states into some United States of Africa in circumstances where he would become the federal president.
That this guy is mentally unbalanced can only be disputed by the promiscuous hangers-on, a bunch of African leaders who fed from the palm.
These leaders were totally blind, deaf and dumb in so far as Gaddafi’s shocking human rights record was concerned, as long as he continued with his generosity.
As long as he kept his teats in their mouths, suckling, they saw no evil and heard no evil. They knew there was more, where Gaddafi’s generosity came from.
Like little children, Gaddafi was their Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus and they held him in enormously high regard.
These are the same characters, erstwhile bosom buddies of the West who were regular guests in Western capitals until the West chastised them for their human rights records, and they then turned against the same West, ostensibly, on some fancied ideological pretences.
It is said that most of the shadows in life are caused by us standing in our own sunshine! It’s really amazing, some of the fellows that end up ruling African countries!
Clearly, Gaddafi had no business running any country, let alone Libya. He was never legitimate, from day-one! He was de-facto !
But revolutions are an expensive business. They are destructive and the toll is often high in both human and material terms.
Still, sometimes temporary anarchy is preferable to sheepish acceptance of continuance of the barbaric rule of tyrants.
People anywhere in the world, more particularly those who fought for their independence, have an inalienable right to self-determination. And, quite rightly, Libyans finally overcame their fear and set about reclaiming their country.
It is shocking to hear of the African Union (AU), an organisation which never raised a finger to help the Libyan people, but was more concerned about a soft-landing for Gaddafi, say that they will not recognise the freedom crusaders in Libya, and pushing for “an inclusive government”, which would protect, cushion and take care of Gaddafi and his repressive warmongers.
For 40 years, Libyans lived under the strong rule of Gaddafi and now that they have reclaimed their rights and dislodged him, the AU wants to protect its friend and sponsor, Gaddafi!
What legitimacy did Gaddafi ever hold . . . stemming from what efficacious process? How can the AU measure a Gaddafi who staged a coup, albeit 42 years ago, on the same scale with the sovereign people of Libya, who are reclaiming their country and restoring legitimacy?
Where was the AU when Gaddafi was persecuting his people and stealing from them, and even now, when he is killing thousands of his countrymen?
For as long as the AU remains impotent, in so far as taking positive action to stop oppressors, the people of Africa have every right to solicit for assistance from wherever they see fit even if it means bargaining with the devil.
The Russians and Chinese have made it clear that they will not “interfere” with the internal affairs of other nations, merely as a pretext to forestall having their own human rights records being interfered with or called into question.
Anyone doubting this only needs to look at the China/Tibet paradigm and try and make sense of it. It’s indefensible . . !
There is no substitute for total victory when you are fighting against such rulers. We all know that the AU is long on swagger and short on capacity!
The time may come when it may be sufficiently resourced and become a substantive player, but until then, it would do well to introspect and recognise its deficits and shortcomings.
A good starting point would be to side with the sovereign people of its members states more than delinquent leaders!
