It is time for Gaddafi to go

The plight of the Libyan people has persisted for far too long. The time has come for their tragically destructive parody of a leader and his power-grabbing family and cronies to be brought to justice. Too many human lives have been taken; too much blood spilt. The shout for freedom of the Libyan people cannot be ignored any more. For this reason, it was only with a sense of relief for the population of Libya that I received the news that the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is seeking Muammar Gaddafi’s arrest for crimes against humanity.

It is an embarrassment that just a few hundred kilometres from Europe – the continent of democracy and freedom of speech – there still is someone that has the power to suppress his people in a manner that reminds us of the brutal dictatorships of the past. Modern communication tools have made it possible for us to see what’s going on and it is clear that the cry for liberty is a genuine one from a nation that is eager to stand up on its own two feet and prove to the world that it is capable and ready to embrace democracy and reintegrate itself into the international community.

Maybe we Europeans are a little at fault. Perhaps such an escalation could have been avoided. Should we have acted before? Should we have overthrown Col Gaddafi decades ago? Or was it a matter of letting sleeping dogs lie? I sometimes think we have turned a blind eye on the situation in North Africa. There is no denying that Col Gaddafi was a malevolent leader. It is only, perhaps, the substantial oil resources under his control and the gift of the gab that kept him from being censured too severely by Europe.

We now have the proof of how odious his regime really was. This man, who has been at the helm of Libya for so long, did not think twice before massacring his own people, using mercenaries to execute his orders and safeguard his position.

It is now time to end this tyrant’s rule. It is now time to give Libya back to its people. This country so rich in resources will surely become a booming economy where wealth is fairly distributed once Col Gaddafi and his family are out of the way. It is indeed sad to see all the wealth this country has going to just one family and a few friends while the basic needs of the people are ignored. Col Gaddafi never cared about his people, he neglected the need of primary health care and he ignored the importance of having a sound educational system, all this while his family went to the finest schools and universities in Europe.

With his people in ignorance and the country’s press subdued, Col Gaddafi was left free to act out his wanton whims.

As Europeans, it is in our interest to ensure that our neighbours in the south embrace democracy and get back on track. This has been a tumultuous period for North Africa.

The revolts in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere have shown us that the desire to be free knows no borders. It is not just a question of stability for our own sake but a matter of giving the right and the possibility to every human being to enjoy freedom of expression and to be able to build a future for himself and his children.

Many times we in the free world take these basic rights for granted to such an extent that we lose sense of their importance. A look at the national media immediately shows us how almost everyone has an opinion about everything and how natural and easy it is for us to express our thoughts and to speak our minds. In Libya and in other undemocratic countries, this would almost certainly mean incarceration or death.

The international community must step its efforts to get rid of Col Gaddafi and support the efforts of the International Criminal Court to put the affront to justice in our neighbourhood in the dock, not only for the benefit of the Libyan people but for the good of humanity. And when that job is done, let’s not forget the many other such parodies of governance in our neighbourhood and across the world.

The author is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.