The high cost of respectability

[Rigel]

The other day we were treated to TV coverage of the recent celebrations of the 40th anniversary of Colonel Muammar Ghaddafi�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s rule. Extravagant fireworks and spectacular displays went on until late at night. What seemed like the entire Libyan armed forces appeared before the spectators. The entire tamasha is reported to have cost around $500 million.

Considering Libya�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s oil wealth, this is not such a huge amount. But it does reflect on the whimsical, arbitrary way in which the country has been run for these last four decades. Over his long dictatorship, Ghaddafi has used the public exchequer as his personal treasury, wasting billions on quixotic quests and half-baked projects. Since he seized power, he has funded movements like the IRA, apart from financing various madcap schemes like buying nuclear technology from Pakistan�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s AQ Khan and his gang of proliferators.

But it is Libya�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s alleged role in the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 that is currently the centre of a political storm in the UK. When a dying Megrahi, the Libyan intelligence agent who was found guilty of the terrorist outrage that killed over 200 people on board Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland, was released recently by the Scottish government on compassionate grounds, there was fury on both sides of the Atlantic.

The opposition and the media have accused Gordon Brown of releasing a convicted terrorist to obtain lucrative contracts from the Libyan government. Washington has made plain its anger and disgust. But some Muslim readers have written to me, asking what the fuss is about: after all, the families of the Lockerbie victims had been paid �?????�????�???�??�?�¢??blood money�?????�????�???�??�?�¢?? under an agreement with the Libyan government. Large amounts had been forked out, paving the way for the lifting of sanctions imposed on Libya following the outrage.

The concept of blood money does not exist in non-Islamic societies; and even in the Muslim world, only countries like Saudi Arabia practise it. However, many have doubted Megrahi�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s guilt, and feel he was thrown to the wolves to escape the sanctions. His imminent death due to prostate cancer moved the Scottish authorities to allow him to return. But what ignited the firestorm of protest was the warm welcome he was given in Tripoli by, among others, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s son and heir apparent. For a convicted terrorist to be greeted like a conquering hero was deeply embarrassing to both the Scottish and the British governments.

Since Megrahi�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s release, both London and Edinburgh have been leaking documents to pin the blame on each other. Like the proverbial hot potato, the case is burning the fingers of those involved in the decision. Brown says the decision was entirely the Scottish government�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s as it is autonomous to act in such matters. Alex Salmond, the Scottish first minister, retorts that he had advised the Foreign Office of his government�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s decision, and it was up to the British government to take up the matter with Libya to ensure a low-key reception for Megrahi.

The entire episode is the outcome of a 2007 agreement between the UK and Libya that paved the way to transfer prisoners from each other�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s country. Opponents of the deal insist that Britain changed its position to include Megrahi as a result of commercial considerations. And it is a fact that Tony Blair was among the first foreign leaders to visit Tripoli in 2004 following Libya�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s new-found respectability.

But Colonel Gaddafi continues to inspire suspicion as well as derision. His bizarre outfits, heavy dark glasses and personal security team consisting of attractive young women make him a cartoonist�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s dream. His decision to attend the forthcoming UN General Assembly session in New York and stay in a tent has caused protests from residents of the area where he intends to pitch it.

Despite squandering his country�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s wealth and standing over four decades, Gaddafi is still seen as something of a hero by millions of Muslims. This is just one indication of how out of step we are with the rest of the world. Like Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi is admired for �?????�????�???�??�?�¢??standing up to the West�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??. Unfortunately for ordinary Libyans, this has proved to be a very expensive stance, as it was for Iraqis.

And as Gaddafi is finding out, respectability is hard to buy. Libya has already paid $1.5 billion in compensation to the families of the Lockerbie victims. In addition, it has shelled out 250,000 pounds to the family of Yyvonne Fletcher, a police officer killed by gunfire from the Libyan embassy in London in 1984. And now, hundreds of survivors of IRA victims have lodged claims in a class action suit against Libya.

They are claiming that their relatives died because of explosives and arms supplied to the Irish separatist group by Gaddafi. Gordon Brown has added his weight to the claim by promising that the British Foreign Office would pursue the matter with the Libyan government. I have little doubt that once again, ordinary Libyans will once again pay for their leader�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s crimes.

All those who suggest that democracy doesn�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??t work in developing countries, and a dictatorship is the only answer, should take Libya as a case study. Here is an oil-rich country with a population of 6.3 million, and yet it has suffered low growth and relative poverty for years because of the leadership it has been saddled with. With a GDP per capita of $14,400, it ranks 80th in the international rankings for wealth, with over 7 per cent of its population living below the poverty line. 95 per cent of the country�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s exports earnings are derived from oil and gas.

Presently, Libya is acceptable to the international community due to its oil reserves. No doubt major arms deals will soon be signed; Shell and BP have recently won oil concessions worth billions. Many British retail outlets have already opened their doors in Tripoli. All this is despite, not because of, Colonel Gaddafi. He remains in bad odour because of his suspected links over the years with various terrorist groups around the world. The only Western leader who attended his 40th anniversary was the prime minister of Malta. Other luminaries included the leaders of Sudan and Zimbabwe.

As long as leaders like Gaddafi remain role models to millions of Muslims, the prospects for getting decent leadership in the Islamic world are bleak.

[BMZ]

Hello, Rigel

What Islamic nations really lack is a leadership.

Just look at most of the leaders of Islamic countries and we will see dishonest goons in charge.

I would, however, exclude leaders of Turkey, Iran, Malaysia and Indonesia from the list. At least they are men who do think about their nations.

Salaams

BMZ

[BMZ]

Hello, Rigel

What Islamic nations really lack is a leadership.

Just look at most of the leaders of Islamic countries and we will see dishonest goons in charge.

I would, however, exclude leaders of Turkey, Iran, Malaysia and Indonesia from the list. At least they are men who do think about their nations.

Salaams

BMZ

[Rigel]

Salaaaaaaams brother BMZ,

Nice to hear from you, one thing I am wondering how you added Iran to the good list, their president wants to wipe Isreal from the face of earth and also I think the govt is no good for their people. Maybe Im wrong but this is how I see it.

Rigel