Being Arab means one can never get enough of Gaddafi news:
A meeting of more than 200 African kings and traditional rulers has bestowed the title “king of kings” on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The rulers, wearing gold crowns, sequined capes and colourful robes met in the Libyan town of Benghazi in what was billed as a first of its kind. [source]
I’m not sure how “king of kings” is going to fit in with his official title of “Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya” or “Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution”.
Meanwhile, another bit of interesting Gaddafi news today:
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has said oil profits should be given directly to citizens, as part of sweeping economic and political reforms…The changes will take place in the next four months, he said.
“The money that we put in the education budget, I say let the Libyans take it,” Col Gaddafi said in a 100-minute televised speech to the General People’s Congress, Libya’s equivalent of a parliament.
“Put it in your pockets and teach your kids as you wish, you take responsibility.”
“As long as money is administered by a government body, there would be theft and corruption” [source]
hehe
Gaddafi’s irrationa behaviors are not funny anymore to me. Every action he does is being paid for by the country. He hasn’t done anything for his country. A libyan guy told me yesterday the only highway they have was built during the time of King Idris who was thrown away by Gaddafi and his gang.
Those leaders are not doing this for no pirce. Many of them are dictators who don’t like to appear in this position crowning another leaders as a king, so you can imagine how much were they paid to satisfy the lust for power Gaddafi has.
“Put it in your pockets and teach your kids as you wish, you take responsibility.â€
It seems somebody translated Milton Friedman’s books for him.
“A libyan guy told me yesterday the only highway they have was built during the time of King Idris “
all the intercity highways were built after the revolution. Q is a dictator and bad; but it’s not to the extent that no highway or schools or hospitals have been built ….The country could have been a thousand time better; but it’s not worse and has moved on substantially since the kings time who’s rule would have ended up the same way this one has. It’s all about oil and money and nobody wants to share.
PH, regardless of what that guy was saying, I can’t imagine a president can be worse than Gathafi. He invaded Chad and when the French kicked him out he blamed his army for invading another country. That was just the beginning of it. You should go to Benghazi or Tripoli and see how the average Libyan is living and you’ll be astonished how one of the richest countries in the world which has a population of only 7 million allows its citizens to have such a life.
Then look at his own scandals and those of his son. The last one in Switzerland is the most troubling where he threatened to cut oil from the Siwss for a personal problem with his abusive son. His other sons never stop making headlines all over the media, with a son whose engaged to an Israeli artist to another failed soccer player who failed drug tests. The ilteracy rate in Libya is still 18%, and Libyan universities are never near the top in the continent of Africa. Just judging from his political statements this man is a real idiot or crazy lunatic and probably got some psych issues, even guld countries won’t let such a moron rule them and would at least appoint someone who is more presentable, which is the least of his problems.
good grief :-/
Hareega I’m from Benghazi I don’t need to go to Libya to see it. I’ve lived through the worst atrocities that you won’t find in any western newspaper; because they like him over the alternative. I’ve seen high rise building shelled with tanks and houses demolished and people crucified.
“richest countries in the world”
It isn’t Libya is bigger than Egypt and France and has a population that is so widely dispersed that it’s crazy and the government provides cell phone coverage and water and electricity even in the middle of the desert, plus we lack farm land and water and exporting food puts a strain on any economy. Basically it’s a desert!
7 million
Libya’s population is barely 5 million and 600,000 .
“allows its citizens to have such a life.”
Apart from the lack of medical professionals it’s still a thousand times better than Jordan, unless you count western food franchises as an achievement ?
“Libyan universities are never near the top in the continent of Africa.”
Have a source ? Garyounis university does make it near the top and is well known … because it’s students are quite good.
Guys, debates are welcome, but please don’t take this post in an ugly directions and observe the commenting policy.
To Hareega :
I forgot Tripoli never suffered anything under Mr. Q’s regime and is better than any city in Jordan you should come and see it ……. actually I bet your friend is from Tripoli given that he included it in the list of cities that are ‘suffering’ .
To Nas :
Sorry for the rant; but to me I have this thing with other Arabs who come from dictatorships and are a thousand times worse than us ,blowing off their steam on Libya because they can’t complain about their own governments. I mean ok the guy seems to be crazy … but really he stayed in power and alive this long ( 39 years ) he bought his way out of killing Americans and Brits and Germans and French, what Arab politician could do that ? ( with the payments being compensated by the interest on the money frozen in American accounts and royalties from foreign companies ) . He got the Italians to admit their colonial atrocities and crimes and pay for them – if even a minimal fee- , I mean he is crazy and all but the rest of the Arab nuts must be crazier, because thy sold out their countries for peanuts and gave peace to Israel for nothing and your still in a worse off state than Libya is in ! and you can’t even complain to the Brits or the French about the crimes they committed let alone get them to admit them or apologize or compensate you for them !
you can delete the comments if they are too much for you.
PH, Jordan doesn’t produce one drop of oil and it has better education and better hospitals than Libya with all due respect. It’s not that we are smarter but your leader is a total nutcase. We have corruption in Jordan and it’s probably getting worse, but it doesn’t reach the astronomical levels you have in Libya. Man Gaddafi invaded a neighboring country and even lied about it, blew up a night club, shot up a plane and his kids are on drugs, dating ISraelis (his worse enemies) and beating up their servers and he’s damn proud of all of this.
About the university ranking here are 2 websites, I do not blindly follow these rankings but they kinda give you an idea:
http://www.m6world.com/africa/univ/
Top 25 universities in Africa: http://www.studysa.co.za/contentpage.aspx?pageid=4150
Whoever Jordanians and Saudis you talk to who say it’s fair comparing Libya to Jordan are absolutely idiots.
Listen, Libya should have no eceonmical burden whatsoever. Oil has been very expensive for so long and even if there wasn’t a single tree in Libya that shouldn’t affect the economy.
Wow. And we did not mention how it is shirk in Islam to call someone “King of Kings,” in all this debate about whether Libya is the place to be or not.
My husband has lots of Libyan customers. They seem to have a pretty high standard of living compared to Jordanians, which I found surprising. I spoke with many Libyan women on Umrah one year and they told me how happy they were, educated, affordable housing, plenty of food, etc. I think when we compare the rift between the super wealthy and super impoverished in Libya with other Arab nations, we won’t find such a huge one.
But interesting post, and interesting discourse, as always.
Okay, I hate editing comments or playing babysitter, and i’ve only closed down one post in my lifetime as a blogger, so I’m just going to kindly ask, once again, that everyone keep this conversation civil without the use of personal insults. and that goes for everyone.
on a second note: PH…I don’t appreciate veiled threats.
thanks all.
@ UmmFarouq :
“Wow. And we did not mention how it is shirk in Islam to call someone “King of Kings,†in all this debate about whether Libya is the place to be or not.”
Because he has said and done worse things and this comes as no surprise.
@ Hareega :
I’m busy so i will reply to your comments in parts so this is the first part :
“The ilteracy rate in Libya is still 18%”
1- That 18% includes many old Libyans who didn’t know how to read or write long before Qaddafi came to power, he has been in power for 39 years and you pass the literacy credential after primary school so anyone older than 50 wasn’t illiterate because of this regime.
2- That is the lowest illiteracy rate in Africa.
3- Among the Arab countries it is lower than : Iran (20.9%), Saudi Arabia ( 20.3%), United Arab Emirates ( 22.2%), Oman ( 24.2%), Tunisia ( 25.8% ), Algeria ( 30.1% ), Sudan ( 39% ), Egypt ( 42.3% ), Morocco ( 48.3% ), Yemen ( 49.7% ), Iraq ( 59.6% ).
4- If you want a better indication of literacy you should use the youth literacy indicator Libya has 97% Literacy while Jordan has 99.4 % which only makes you slightly better than us. With this indicator Libya leads ahead of : Syria ( 95.2% ), Qatar ( 94.8% ), Tunisia ( 94.3% ), Saudi Arabia ( 93.5% ), Kuwait ( 93.1 % ), United Arab Emirates ( 91.4% ), Algeria ( 89.9% ), Sudan ( 74.6% ), Egypt ( 73.2% ) ….. Morocco, Yemen .
Not that any of this is to his personal credit; but that’s my point don’t confuse Libya and Libyans with Qaddafi in the same way nobody blames you for your rulers!
Thought that was a dragqueen show or something!!! amazing
Although I agree with the criticism in the above comments in general, it never ceases to amaze me how other Arabs are all too ready to scoff at Libyans, and too ready to accept Western media’s analysis of our affairs. Lockerbie isn’t over. Q’s crimes/mistakes have cost many Libyans lives, but judging from the Middle East situation – would it have been any different with anyone else, and is making mistakes uniquely a Libyan trait?
“You should go to Benghazi or Tripoli and see how the average Libyan is living and you’ll be astonished how one of the richest countries in the world which has a population of only 7 million allows its citizens to have such a life.”
First of all, in Libya even the poorest people I know are living long healthy lives and still get by very well. This quote insinuates that people live in post war iraqi conditions which is by far not the case. My entire family (and I have an extremely large family) live in good conditions, many are very wealthy due to the vast opportunities available in Libya.
Libya is improving all the time. The literacy rates and living standards in Libya are the highest in Africa.
This just a show of geographical unity of Gaddafi idea’s. My only concern …he overthrew! A
monarchy and anti-dynasty why is he grooming his son. To succeed him Gaddafi is like Tunisia,Egypt,
Pakistan republic name. Only not fottowing the “Deen” nor the Sunah. This a authorized Dynasty
the former royal family lives now. In Saudia Arabia whom expelled 1984 from Libya. I find it baffling
to accepted this title (King of Kings) notice it’s. Majority Non Arab Ummah whom detest his
ideologies. Libya is like Pakistan certain faimiiles run the government. Which western do not understand the citizens. Whom no better…accepted this as God sent. So before those assume western democratic polices are efficient in the Ummah. Understand the majority perceptions,
I have an argument Libya supports Mauritantia whom. Segregated if your non Arab your inferior
i do see the Arab Ummah supporting this? But if you think my comments are subjective I speak
the truth. This title for Gaddafi is bias and meanless why not. Become Sultan or Shah of Libya
is apprpriate yes the reign. Of Sultans from Gaddafi 40yrs,Zin Ben Ali 22yrs and Mubark 28yrs.
The contridiction they replace monarchical dynasties which they envied! Such a joke I know the
history and from Yemen. When we had a King it was efficient until the dictatorships change that.
But anyhow this joke for those observing this charade laugh. The is no Arab or Moslem unity
nor democrazy only petty tribes acting like nations!
when will idiots like gadaffi die, but wait his sons are total idiots too….so better let this old idiot stay.
All the arab nations r fool all the kings r jst filling thr own bank accounts nothing for the ppl of thr country who pay all the taxes. They all r corrupt, fools n idiots n they will realize this whn the gr8 world bank wil take all thr money n seize it lykwise happnd wth gadaffi