The situation in Libya is still very unclear and chaos is reigning galore. With both the rebels and the forces loyal to Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi claiming to have the upper hand, uncertainty and panic are causing havoc on the everyday life of Libyan citizens. Going by the extensive media coverage we are getting and judging by the first-hand accounts we are hearing, it is clear to everybody that Colonel Gaddafi’s tenure is no longer legitimate and that he and his family should make way for democracy after more than 40 years of tyranny.
The Libyan people are yearning to achieve what other nations and citizens worldwide take for granted: freedom and the possibility to express oneself without the fear of being shot or of disappearing mysteriously. The Libyans are eager to have the right to choose their leaders and not have a regime imposing rules and issuing diktats with no opposition at all. The Libyans want to reintegrate in the international community and not be frowned upon. They want to wash away the stigma Col Gaddafi has tainted them with.
The Libya situation sees a united international front that agrees that the Libyan dictator should go.
We, as Maltese, are abiding by the United Nations’ resolution that has called for the imposition of sanctions on the Libyan regime. No one has the right to remain neutral when the hunger for totalitarian power makes a dictator give orders and hire mercenaries to shoot and kill his own people.
Almost every country from every corner of the world has condemned Col Gaddafi’s actions and his atrocities but, once again, the Leader of the Socialist Opposition, the man who aspires to be Prime Minister in two years’ time, has decided to be different, to abstain from criticising the Libyan dictator.
He has failed to condemn the genocide going on and instead gave the vague impression he would be willing to mediate in the situation. Unbelievable! Joseph Muscat’s nebulous indecisiveness is dangerous. How can we afford to have a Prime Minister who is incapable of taking a stand? We should not just close an eye when innocent people are being massacred. We should show solidarity with a righteous cause. We have to stand up and be counted when it matters.
This is a clear example of cowardice that can be contrasted with the diligence with which the present Administration has dealt with the situation.
We played a key role in the evacuation of foreign nationals from Libya. We did not compromise on the issue of the two military planes that defected and we stood firm on our position that Malta would not be used as a military base. I wonder what Dr Muscat would have done had he been in Lawrence Gonzi’s place? Would he have compromised with the Libyan dictator?
History has shown us that there is a great divide in the way the two major political parties in this country view important issues. The Libya situation and the stance taken by the Socialists is a clear message to all that they are still not ready to rule this country. With Labour in government, Malta will risk losing the credibility it painstakingly worked for during these last decades. We cannot afford to go back to square one.
We need a leader that is strong enough to decide which way is the way forward. Someone who truly believes there is only one way – the right way!
The author is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.