Six months ago, the wind of change started blowing on the arid sands of the Sahara to mark the end of an era of a dictatorship in a land where one man had made a whole country his own, using it for his own crazy schemes, to enrich his friends and family and, ultimately, isolating it from the international community.
In 42 years of dictatorship, Muammar Gaddafi managed to turn Libya from a beautiful North African country with so many historical sites, such as the Roman remains in Leptis Magna and the oasis of Ghadhames, into a no-go zone for almost everyone, bar those who earned a living there.
Watching the news over the past few months, one could sense the air of anticipation among those who have suffered silently and in fear of never knowing what tomorrow will bring. One could also see the eagerness of those who had to flee Libya for their own safety. The hope of them being able to return and live in freedom in their country is finally on the verge of becoming a reality.
The air of revolution that started in Tunisia and spread like wildfire has taught us that there is no price for freedom and that liberty of expression knows no borders and has no religion. We, as humans, are born free; we, of the western world, take freedom for granted but for these peoples the idea of expressing oneself and having an opinion you could speak loudly about was only a theory, an oasis that never seemed close to materialising.
One could write volumes about the importance of freedom of expression, freedom of belief and freedom to be one’s own man, and we would all agree about it, but the situation in Libya was much worse than that.
That country lacked the bare necessities upon which a society, a village or a town are made of. Sanitation is rudimentary, health care minimal and the educational system almost non existent. This, however, was not the same for those close to the colonel, who lived in plush villas and were given the best education in the most prestigious colleges and universities in Europe and the United States. Not unlike the notorious dictators of the past century, Col Gaddafi and his public relations team built an image of a country that was a welfare state par excellence where the subjects idolised the Rais. The impression was that everyone was living comfortably off the riches of the country whereas the stark reality was so much different.
The number of persons who have disappeared during this 42-year terror reign is too large to count and those who have been summarily executed add up to hundreds. No wonder Libyans kept mum about their situation and no wonder thousands fled the country.
Earlier this week, we witnessed celebrations near the Libyan Embassy in Balzan and near the Mosque in Paola and the general comments were that all these expatriates were eager to return to their country to rebuild it and start a new life close to their families on their home soil. We have been morally supporting the freedom fighters all the way and we will keep on doing so. I am sure we will also go further than that.
Malta was the fourth European country to recognise the Libyan transitory government as the legitimate voice of the Libyan people and I am sure we shall be up there among those who will give a helping hand to rebuild the soul of our North African neighbour.
Peace and democracy in Libya will also be a great step forward towards guaranteeing peace in the Mediterranean, which will automatically lead to more cooperation and social and economic development between the neighbouring states.
Hopefully, the beginning of a new era is near. Let us hope out of hope that Col Gaddafi and his few followers surrender sooner rather than later. The people are no longer afraid of him, they don’t want him anymore and it is time for him to admit that it is game over.
Mr Casa is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.