Dear Editor,
What should be the role of progressives in relation to the popular rebellion in Libya? As I write this letter to the press, the Libyan dictatorial family, Gaddafi, his sons, and their henchmen continue their military campaign to purge Libyan society of citizens who dare lead a popular rebellion against their rule. History bears witness to such wanton violence against people seeking their right to empowerment, self-reliance, and basic human dignity. This has happened before to name a few instances, in the Soviet Union where under Joseph Stalin the society was purged of anyone who dared opposed the ‘comrade’ leader and his view of truth.
In Uganda under the gun of Idi Amin, the people were made to endure untold killings and hardships while he paraded himself as anti-imperialist. We should remember also that it was Gaddafi who supported Idi Amin in his war against Tanzania, against the forces of liberation in Africa, and while he was killing the people of Uganda. Closer to home, those of us who grew up under Burnham witnessed the dehumanization of our political culture which ultimately culminated in the assassination of Walter Rodney and the smashing of the national uprising of 1979-1980. Walter Rodney and the WPA had to be stamped out by any means necessary because they were in the words of Burnham “the Worst Possible Alternative.” The genocide in Rwanda, the wars in the Sudan, the conflicts in Somalia, in Yemen, in the Ivory Coast, and other parts of the African continent remind us of the dangers of ‘strongman,’ ‘tribal,’ ‘religious,’ and ‘ethnic’ politics and leadership.
What is common in most if not all of these places are attempts to purge society of the so-called undesirables.
There are fears of the same in Libya today. As Gaddafi’s forces retake towns and cities in the protracted war against the popular uprising, there are reports of his forces going from house to house to collect anyone suspected of involvement in the uprising. What will happen and what is happening to these people is anyone’s guess. There is no way to verify the fate of opponents. We may not know until it is too late, very late. Are we going to wait to discover mass graves some time in the future, or should we speak now against such atrocities and the possibility of atrocities? The only press allowed to cover the events is Gaddafi’s. We have seen this movie played time and again. What role should the international community play as these events unfold? What role should former friends of Gaddafi play as these events unfold? If the international community and the former friends of Gaddafi stay silent on his excesses, who should take the blame after the dust settles. Who will account for the disappearance of the countless?
The time is now for the former friends of Gaddafi to stand up. The choice is simple – will you stand with the people or with the dictator.
In defence of Gaddafi, many of his former friends point to his internationalism. I do not think that anyone can deny the role leaders such as Gaddafi have played on the international scene. It is undeniable that Gaddafi did give some support to the ANC and to SWAPO, but on balance he has created more destruction and damage in Africa by financing rebellions in Chad, Sierra Leone, the Sudan and Liberia, and by propping up dictators, who in his view should not retire. We must also remember that it is this same Gaddafi who called for the division of Nigeria into Christian and Muslim states. He has also been the moneybags for a number of ‘quasi political’ and ‘civic groups’ in other third world countries and in the wider Caribbean.
History will be the judge of the impact and effect of these donations to the coffers of such organizations and individuals who were expected and in most cases required to accept the principles enshrin-ed in the Green Book. Gaddafi was not the first leader of his time to entice international solidarity through acts of ‘bravery’ in the arena of the struggle for freedom in distant places abroad. Inter-national bribery can sometimes be mistaken for bravery. Under Burnham, Guyana was also a champion on the international scene. While he allowed aircraft carrying military hardware and soldiers from Cuba to refuel in Guyana on their way to Angola, he was suppressing the population whose only demand was their right to vote and to have their vote counted.
As I write, I am also trying to understand the connection between ‘leftwing politics’ and repression. Leftwing politicians in my limited understanding are supposed to be fearless defenders of the rights of man, not the rights of autocrats. Am I missing something? Why are so-styled ‘leftwing politicians’ defending Gaddafi, his sons, and his cronies in the face of overwhelming evidence of the way these people have corrupted the state of Libya, have misused its patrimony, and have walked away from the principles upon which the revolution of 1969 was based? Such sheepish support defeats conventional logic. It is time for these politicians to question why Libya’s wealth is being squandered in Western Europe, rather spent on the Libyan people.
This is the democratic age. Thinking people of this age must recognize right from wrong, and stand up for freedom even if this means telling former friends to take a hike. Revolutionaries and progressives must ensure that all peoples are not only recognized as human beings, but revolutionaries themselves have to eschew all forms of racism, chauvinism, tribalism, and xenophobia. It is time institutions and/or organizations such as the progressive movements in Latin America, Asia, and North America join with their African counterparts. More especially, it is now necessary for the leaders of the people’s movements in Latin America, the leaders of the new social movements to pay closer attention, study the developments in Africa, and give solidarity to their counterparts rather than to governments.
Yours faithfully,
Wazir Mohamed
