Gaddafi A Year Later: Democracy And Oil
By MISNA
“On 20 October last year, Muammar Gaddafi died in own town of Sirte. Since then, Libya has engaged in a process to affirm democracy, proceeding along an inclined plane and uphill. But, in fact, it is moving ahead,” said Farid Adly, journalist and essayist.
Residing in Italy but born in Benghazi and author of “The Libyan Revolution” gives a passing grade to this first year without the colonel and the revolution and the results achieved thus far.
“This does not mean that the way ahead is short,” he adds, “but the positive results are there for all to see in Libya, which has held regular elections and seen the transfer of power from the National Transitional Council to new institutions without significant problems. The victory of the progressive political forces who beat the Muslim Brotherhood was also positive. The elections also politically eliminated Salafi groups. The country came out united and aware that the future depends largely on oil and on two factors: national cohesion and stability.”
According to the latest estimates, Libya has been able to return to the levels of oil production in the period before the war as early as last May. A fact made possible by the relative stability that the new Libyan rulers have been able to provide.
For 2012, the International Monetary Fund expects growth a 116.2% GDP growth, though Adly warns that what is happening these days in Bani Walid and what happened during the year in other parts of the country cannot be under-estimated.
“Serious problems have emerged that go well beyond the Gaddafi period and in the case of the rivalry between Bani Walid and Misurata, that dates back to the Italian colonial period,” he notes, “There is, however, a willingness of the government to address thorny issues such as Bani Walid looking primarily to treat and prevent actions that may feed the clash.”
“Advancing the democratic process, in response to the action of members of the regime are still active and using the oil flywheel,” these are the guidelines, Adly concludes, that the government of new Prime Minister Ali Zidan will have to follow to ferry the country through this transition.
