As Libyans celebrate the 36th anniversary of the September Revolution which brought Colonel Muammar Al Gaddafi to power, various opposition leaders and nationalists — both inside the country and abroad — expressed different views on the recent initiative of Saif Islam Al Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan Leader, who is the most qualified person today to inherit his father.
On August 20, Saif al Islam announced to the whole world, the initiative which deals with a number of issues, including some sensitive dossiers that had been kept secret throughout his father’s 30 years of rule.
While the initiative was highly welcomed by the most notable opposition factions — the Muslim Brotherhood and other political bodies like the Human Resources Development Forum and independent personalities inside and outside the country — other opposition factions, notably the National Front for the Salvation of Libya (NFSL), rejected the initiative, which they described as a useless noise-making exercise.
In his initiative, Saiful Islam, who is the chairman of the Al Gaddafi Foundation for Charity Associations (GIFCA), dealt with most of the demands of the reformers which can be summarised in four major points. Firstly, commitment to continue with reforms as a popular and official demand, in order to achieve national reconciliation. Secondly, opening the dossier of human rights violations, and thirdly freeing the prisoners of conscience, ideology and opinion, and compensating those whose properties were seized; and lastly, to work for a new constitution.
Commenting on the initiative, Sulaiman Abdul Qadir, an observer of the Muslim Brotherhood group, said the step was ‘positive and courageous’. "If this really happens on the ground, it will be the beginning of a new phase of courageous transformation in the country," he said, adding that Libya’s need for economic openness and progress will never materialise without political stability, coupled with freedom, transparency, Press freedom and civil society organisations.
Abdul Qadir denied any deal between the regime and the Muslim Brotherhood group to release their 85 detained members. He underlined that the Muslim Brotherhood members, like others, would remain prisoners of opinion in Libya, who had not taken arms against anyone. They stuck to their peaceful right of expression, and their real place is among the citizens of the society and not behind bars, he said.
The general supervisor of the Muslim Brotherhood regarded the release of the prisoners of opinion, if it happened, to be a logical outcome of the project for reform, and would give credibility among people. The Muslim Brotherhood was not in need to strike a deal with anybody as long as the first and last beneficiary of these reforms is the citizen, he said. Abdul Qadir said the initiative of Saif had come after political, human rights, and media efforts being exerted for more than eight years, which were made by the Muslim Brotherhood, along with other citizens in the country.
Meanwhile Juma Al Amamai, Secretary of the Al Tadamon (Solidarity) Association for Human Rights told Quds Press that the initiative is a step in the right direction. The importance is that such promises are to be practically translated on the ground and in reality, he said.
Al Amami asked the Libyan authorities to tackle the pending files, foremost among them being the massacre of Abu Slai prison, which took place on 29th June 1996. He, however, hailed the promises to revoke the bundles of exceptional statutes. He called for enactment of laws that maintain the right for expression and peaceful rally, freedom of the Press and ensuring the independence of the judiciary.
The calls for openness, which were unleashed by Saif Al Gaddafi, and according to the views of some learnt persons were well received by Libyan citizens who are groaning under the yoke of hardship and racing to earn their livelihood. The people heaved a sigh of relief and happiness, as tens of families have prepared to receive their children who were expected to be set free.
The initiative had prompted many political forces to move towards holding a national conference for reform in Tripoli and London in which everybody including Al Gaddafi Charity Foundation will take part. The call did not come from outside, but was unleashed this time by Idris Al Mosmari, the most prominent Libyan writer. The call was welcomed by a number of forces spearheaded by the Human Development Forum, which joined the list of those who called for holding the conference.
Meanwhile, and in contrast to the broad-scale welcome to the call by some Libyan forces, the message of Saif Al Islam did not receive a welcome by the opposition conference held in London. The conference consisted of a group of Libyan factions and number of independent figures abroad. Ibrahim Sahd, the Secretary-General of the National Front for the Salvation of Libya, the faction whose presence is strongly felt amid radicals was of the belief that the overwhelming majority of the opposition factions did not accept these statements of Said except the Muslim Brotherhood.
Sahd told the Quds Press that these statements were based on the fact that Saif lacks any legal or constitutional capacity that make him qualified to talk about the size of the crimes, perpetrated by the regime led by his father over the last 36 years. He said the statements of Saif had ignored the facts and causes of the Libyan predicament, and tried to look for scapegoats in the pretext of keeping the rule of his father intact and preparing the ground for the succession of the son. He, however, felt that the real reform should begin from the head of the regime.
The Libyan people did not want to see scapegoats, but to see the real officials with Gaddafi and his sons on the top of the list standing trial. Sahd considered the statements of the son, as he described him as part of the reactions of the regime towards the conviction of London conference last June. He also believed that the statements were due to the increasing pressures from the USA, especially as they coincided with the visit of the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the American Congress to Libya.
The coordinator of the Libyan Conference for the Amazieg and the leading figure in the Salvation Front Salem Salem rejected the idea that there was a unanimity on what had been put forth by Saif Al Gaddafi. He said he had rejected Saif’s statements on the basis of the fact that the son of Gaddafi had confessed that he had many hats to wear on all occasions and each hat had an authority. He also said he would repeat the experience of his father and would become the instructor, the thinker and the leader etc.
Source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com
