Now that the Libyans have spoken

It seems our closest neighbours, the people of Libya, were destined to spend the past 10 decades in suffering and turmoil and this on account of hotheads. They are still struggling to be able to live in freedom and prosperity.

We must surely learn from past experience and not let opportunities fly past- Joe C. Cordina

When, in 1911, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini invaded Libya and, notwithstanding valiant resistance by the Libyans, succeeded in taking over the country, the people of that North African state were subjected to confinement in concentration camps, imprisonment, torture, degradation and deportation to labour camps in Italy. Liberated at the end of World War II, the Libyan people then fell victim to the whims of a corrupt regime led by their monarch, King Idris es Senussi. Their wealth was in the hands of international companies, the people were kept backward, lacked education, hospitals, schools, housing and communication systems. Then, in 1969, a young army lieutenant led a bloodless coup d’etat that ousted King Idris and proclaimed Libya a republic. The Libyan people had high hopes that Muammar Gaddafi would lead them on the road of democratic freedom and prosperity.

But it was not to be and, 42 years later, the Libyan people had to take up arms to oust Col Gaddafi’s regime. Destiny dictated that, inevitably, brother rose against brother and blood reddened the Libyan soil as the regime, instead of acceding to the people’s wishes, savagely attacked them. The fighting has already spanned eight months and more than 20,000 have been killed. Devastation and anguish have taken over the once quiet, leisurely country of Libya.

We in Malta felt for our friends and rushed to their assistance. The humanitarian efforts put in by the Maltese government, with the full backing of the opposition, saw provisions, food, water and medicines, being sent to the people of Libya as we rose to the occasion. These efforts also included the assistance of doctors and nurses and the bringing over to Malta of the maimed and the wounded. Malta also organised the evacuation of more than 15,000 foreigners from Libya.

We should be proud of these efforts and history will record that little Malta has done more than other bigger and more influential countries in this regard.

In the meantime, some Maltese journalists also travelled to Libya to cover on what is happening there. Newspapers in Malta have been crammed with comments on Libyan affairs and it seemed that many had, overnight, become experts and specialists on anything Libyan. TV stations, both local and international, broadcast daily scenes of the conflict, enabling us to follow closely.

The leaders of the National Transitional Council in Libya have already shown great appreciation for Malta’s involvement and also pledged future cooperation. Both the chairman of the Libyan NTC, Mustafa Mohammed Abdul Jalil and NTC Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril had words of praise for Malta and its people. In their messages on the visitors’ book at Castille, they included three words – gratitude, appreciation and respect – that, in a nutshell, describe the excellence of the new relations between the Libyan and Maltese people.

Dr Jalil wrote a lengthy message in Arabic in which he thanked Malta for the humanitarian, medical and “military” support throughout the revolution, emphasising that “all this expresses the depth of the relationship between our two countries”.

It is apt to mention that, because Malta and Libya are so close to each other geographically, it is obvious that the two countries have held strong relations over the years and successive Maltese governments had to deal with the Libyan governments of the day. That is now history. Now we have to look to the future and we should all unite to see how Malta can continue to aid this friendly neighbour.

The NTC chairman has already ascertained that “Malta would play a very distinguished role in the rebuilding of my country”, even mentioning three areas in particular: development, construction and tourism. Now is the time to avail ourselves of the present circumstances of aiding the Libyan people while also planning for the future. The Maltese government’s policy in this regard is already on the right track. While continuing to render humanitarian help to Libya, Malta is also preparing for the eventuality of opportunities that will surely arise in the rebuilding of Libya.

Malta Enterprise has again opened its office in Tripoli and Transport Malta is involved in the refunctioning of Libyan seaports. The Maltese government has reopened the Embassy in Tripoli and Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has announced that a high-level official delegation is envisaged to visit Libya in the near future. This is the way to go. We must surely learn from past experience and not let opportunities fly past.

On its part, Libya now needs to be geared to consolidate, preserve and protect its hard-earned freedom. Primarily, all Libyans who truly love their country have to strive for national reconciliation by overcoming personal sentiments. It is to their credit that the Libyans living in Malta have understood this and all came together for the Iftar commemoration at the end of Ramadan. The event was held at the Libyan Embassy, now proudly flying the colours of the new Libya, and was led by Ambassador Saadun Swajeh, who wisely managed to continue with the work of the embassy during these extraordinary circumstances.

(This article was written prior to the death of Col. Gaddafi.)

joecord@onvol.net

The author has been following Maltese/Libyan affairs for the past 36 years.