Violence, protests continue in Libya

One of Gadaffi’s sons Saif al-Islam Gaddafi stated on national television his father will fight against the popular revolt until the last man, but has also promised the dialogue on reforms and salary raise.

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One would expect that someone who was educated in UK -at the LSE to be exact-he would have taken on board his experience from living in a secular country but instead he comes across as someone who has total disregard for his fellow Libyans.

Saif Gaddafi's finger-pointing threatening behaviour re-enforces the view that he actually believes that his family position in Libya is theirs alone and they would do whatever it takes to cling on to it-even killing their own citizens.

His family's ill-gotten gains, as corrupt as those of any oil-rich feudal sheikdom or Wall Street finance house, provide an education for so many millions of people in the corruption of power and the price paid by populations for the lack of freedom. Here is another man unaccustomed to having his behaviour questioned or challenged, just another high-level crook dressed in self-righteousness.

Even if Gaddafi manages to brutally suppress the resistance and die in office, the perpetuity of his regime will be impossible in the new Middle East that is now emerging.

To go out and protest peacefully when it is possible to hope that the army will be restrained is one thing. It is another thing, something almost unimaginably brave, to go out when the army and its foreign mercenaries have already used machine-guns and anti-tank weapons against peaceful demonstrators and people simply attending funerals. In his speech last night, Gaddafi's son said the crowds were drunk and on drugs. I suppose it's the only way he could explain their behavior to himself. Maybe it's all those sons that have driven the Libyans to despair - if the regime is not driven out now, it must seem that the family will be in power forever.

Someday, if he gets to enjoy a quiet retirement in some friendly spot, Gaddafi will have time to regret not sharing the wealth with his people. Libya has the largest oil resources in Africa, worth trillions - he could have followed Kuwait's example and made every one of the 6+ million people so rich they wouldn't care who calls himself the head of state. Now his son is reduced to threatening this potentially rich people with being unable to afford bread.

One of Gadaffi’s sons Saif al-Islam Gaddafi stated on national television his father will fight against the popular revolt until the last man, but has also promised the dialogue on reforms and salary raise.

B92

One would expect that someone who was educated in UK -at the LSE to be exact-he would have taken on board his experience from living in a secular country but instead he comes across as someone who has total disregard for his fellow Libyans.

Saif Gaddafi's finger-pointing threatening behaviour re-enforces the view that he actually believes that his family position in Libya is theirs alone and they would do whatever it takes to cling on to it-even killing their own citizens.

His family's ill-gotten gains, as corrupt as those of any oil-rich feudal sheikdom or Wall Street finance house, provide an education for so many millions of people in the corruption of power and the price paid by populations for the lack of freedom. Here is another man unaccustomed to having his behaviour questioned or challenged, just another high-level crook dressed in self-righteousness.

Even if Gaddafi manages to brutally suppress the resistance and die in office, the perpetuity of his regime will be impossible in the new Middle East that is now emerging.

To go out and protest peacefully when it is possible to hope that the army will be restrained is one thing. It is another thing, something almost unimaginably brave, to go out when the army and its foreign mercenaries have already used machine-guns and anti-tank weapons against peaceful demonstrators and people simply attending funerals. In his speech last night, Gaddafi's son said the crowds were drunk and on drugs. I suppose it's the only way he could explain their behavior to himself. Maybe it's all those sons that have driven the Libyans to despair - if the regime is not driven out now, it must seem that the family will be in power forever.

Someday, if he gets to enjoy a quiet retirement in some friendly spot, Gaddafi will have time to regret not sharing the wealth with his people. Libya has the largest oil resources in Africa, worth trillions - he could have followed Kuwait's example and made every one of the 6+ million people so rich they wouldn't care who calls himself the head of state. Now his son is reduced to threatening this potentially rich people with being unable to afford bread.