On November 20, my wonderful school, the College of William and Mary, hosted a panel on Libya's transition to democracy. The panelists were: H.E. Ali Suleiman Aujali, the Ambassador of Libya to the United States; Mr. Aly R. Abuzaakouk, the executive director of the Libya Forum for Human and Political Development; and professor Chadia Mansour from William and Mary. The panelists all come from very different perspectives, which made for a very interesting discussion. Aujali represented the new Libyan government, so his responses were very calculated and diplomatic. Abuzaakouk, on the other hand, is a civilian who has a little more freedom to express his opinion, and is a former professor so he appealed to the academic audience. Chadia is my professor for the class I'm writing this blog for, and she brought the Tunisian perspective, showing how Libya fits into the larger Arab Spring framework and the connections between specifically the Libyan and Tunisian revolutions. Below are some of my notes from the panel organized by issue area.
New government and challenges:
Aujali explained that the plan for Libya's new government is to elect a 200-member council which will write a new constitution. However, Libya still faces many challenges. The presence of Gaddafi supporters, lack of civil society and institutions, and inexperience with elections are several key issues which will affect Libya's transition. Aujali also spoke about the rampant corruption during the Gaddafi regime but pointed out that not every single government official was corrupt. The problem now is figuring out which officials were the good ones and include them in the transition. Another potential challenge for the new Libyan government is the arms carried by civilians who fought in the war. Aujali does not seem to see this as an issue, claiming that arms in the hands of the people will be used to guard the constitution until a regular army and police forces can be developed.
Abuzaakouk has done a lot of work in Libya in an effort to develop civil society and prepare people for the election. He holds workshops and lectures about elections and the logistics of implementing a democracy. He also speaks about Islam and democracy. He spoke about the Transitional Constitution Declaration issued by the NTC on August 3rd, which will be the law of the country until the Council is elected, and its promises of a new Libya, elections, democracy, and new faces in the government. However, he also pointed out the gaps in the Declaration, especially the details of the transfer of power after elections and the role of newly created city councils in the new government. He described the NTC's interim prime minister as a technocrat focused on cleaning the corruption out of the government. He also described the explosion of organizations, newspapers, radio stations, and TV channels that have been founded since the revolution and Libyans take advantage of their new-found freedom of expression. In terms of arms, he pointed out that crime rates had decreased by 80% since the time of Gaddafi.
Professor Mansour also spoke about freedom of expression and how important it is for people's morale.
International relations:
Ambassador Aujali acknowledged that Libya needs help from the international community right now, but stressed that there must be limits to international intervention and influence, especially from the U.S. He spoke of the need to protect Libya's borders and the importance of medical services and training for a new Libyan military. He also stressed the need for relations based on respect and reciprocality which will benefit the Libyan people, not relations driven by ulterior motives. Aujali spoke about the African Union's recognition of the NTC but mentioned that relations with Sub-Saharan Africa will be difficult because of their history under Gaddafi.
Abuzaakouk spoke a little bit about Libya's relations with China, which supported Gaddafi. Instead of criticizing them, he thanked China and Russia for abstaining instead of vetoing the U.N. Security Council vote on resolution 1973, which authorized the no-fly zone over Libya in March.
Professor Mansour spoke about how "the Libyan revolution saved the Tunisian revolution" because before the unrest in Libya began Gaddafi and Laela Trabelsi, Ben Ali's wife, had threatened to attack Tunisia and overthrow the interim government. She also spoke of the potential for strong ties between the new Libyan and Tunisian states and coordination between their civil societies.
Tribalism:
Aujali did not seem to think tribalism would be an issue in Libya's transition to democracy. He pointed out how quickly the country united against Gaddafi and how the ideals of democracy, human rights, and freedom of the press and expression have the power to maintain this unification of the population. He also mentioned the role of the youth and how determined they are to "guard this revolution." As far as Gaddafi's tribe goes, the ambassador stressed the need for national reconciliation and forgiveness.
Abuzaakouk stressed the need for reconciliation between localities who were divided during the war and the issue of tribalism affecting elections. In terms of national elections, he favors allowing political parties to run instead of individuals because political parties offer less of an opportunity for tribalism to play a role. In his view, political organizations can overcome tribal divisions. Abuzaakouk pointed out that all Libyans suffered under Gaddafi's regime, even members of his own tribe.
The economy and oil:
Ambassador Aujali spoke about Gaddafi's government's accounts, which are all frozen at the moment. There is a lot of money in these accounts which belongs to the Libyan people and which the new government could use in its transition. He spoke about using oil revenues to benefit the people by, for example, raising wages. He favors a free market system but not "blind capitalism." He stressed the importance of giving the people certain economic guarantees.
Abuzaakouk spoke about the importance of controlling inflation and raising the minimum wage rate. He advocates an economic system which protects people from cartels and big companies without stifling initiative or the drive for creation.
Saif al-Islam and Abdullah Senussi:
Saif al-Islam, Gaddafi's son, and Abdullah Senussi, Gaddafi's intelligence chief, were arrested in the two days before this panel took place. Aujali spoke about whether they would be tried in a Libyan court or the ICC. He spokes about the corruption of the legal system under Gaddafi but stressed that the revolution will put an end to it. He advocated Libyan courts once a new legal system has been formed. According to Aujali, the development of a new legal system is a higher priority than the trial of these two men.
Abuzaakouk spoke of the importance of developing a new justice system as a whole and the necessity of ensuring that supporters of Gaddafi who are now in detention, including Saif al-Islam and Abdullah Senussi, are not treated unfairly.
Women's rights:
Abuzaakouk mentioned that even in Libya's most conservative areas, more women than men attended his workshops about democracy. He also pointed out that there are more women than men in higher education in Libya. He emphasized the importance of protecting women's rights without forcing Western values on Libyan society.
Professor Mansour brought up the point that during all of the revolutions and protests of the Arab Spring women were in the streets along with men. After playing such an important role in the revolutions, women will not accept a new government that does not protect their rights.
No comments:
Post a Comment