Libya’s future without Gadhafi

We are witnessing the end of the Gadhafi regime in Libya. The crucial question now is the nature of the government that comes after Gadhafi: Will it be a genuinely democratic government that represents the popular will of the Libyan people?

Unlike the successful people power uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, which ended the brutal dictatorships of Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak, the end of Moammar Gadhafi was brought about not by people power, but a military victory in a civil war Western powers intervened in. Therefore the international skepticism and concern among progressive forces about the character of the Benghazi-based National Transition Council (NTC), the new ruling power in Libya, is understandable. Will it be a mere “puppet regime,” as in Afghanistan and Iraq; or will it be a genuinely independent and sovereign government representing the will of the Libyan people?

Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) believes that for the post-Gadhafi rule in Libya to be truly representative of the democratic aspirations of the Libyan people, the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) should now get out of Libya and stop the bombardment of Libya’s civilian population. The delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians should be made a priority.  The Philippine government should support this call as an immediate and urgent measure to protect overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) stranded in the city.

While we condemn the bombing of civilians by both sides in the civil war, we also note that the NATO firepower is far superior to that of Gadhafi’s forces – a case of David versus Goliath. We fear that the continuing US and NATO intervention will increase instability and will lead to another Iraq-type situation: a complete destruction of the economy, sectarian and tribal in-fighting, extreme insecurity for the civilian population, and an overall decline of society.

Furthermore, any form of presence of NATO troops will only aid the geopolitical and economic interests of the Western powers. They want a Libyan government that will allow Western bases, is supportive of Israel and its colonization of the Palestinian people, and guarantees lucrative profits for Western oil corporations.

There are reports of Italy’s Eni oil company executives arriving in Tripoli as the jockeying to carve up lucrative Libyan oil assets begins. Eni has issued a statement hailing the end of Gadhafi’s rule and warning Russian and Chinese firms of contract revisions. Reuters reports that the Italian Foreign Minister has been sighted in Tripoli.

PLM supports the establishment of a genuinely independent, sovereign and democratic government, imbued with and representing genuine people power in Libya. This means “No!” to Western troops on the ground and “Yes!” to a withdrawal of NATO and US forces from Libya now.

—REI MELENCO,

International Department,

Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM),

partidolakasngmasa@gmail.com