CAIRO: “Bringing democracy to this part of the world may be difficult,” a frank Saif Al-Islam Qaddafi said, “but there are serious problems with the way democracy has been applied abroad,” he continued.
Qaddafi, son of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, visited Cairo Wednesday to give a lecture on “The Past, Present and Future of Libya,” to a vast audience at the American University in Cairo.
A skeptically-charged atmosphere prevailed amongst the AUC community at the Bassily Auditorium during the brief moments of anticipation surrounding the Libyan leader’s son’s arrival. The audience also included Libyan expatriates residing in Cairo, and diplomats.
The lecture began by addressing a long sought answer regarding Libya’s position on democracy, and was followed by a lengthy question-answer session led by the university Provost Lisa Anderson.
To the present day, Libya, according to Qaddafi, is “constitutionless”. “We need one unanimous constitution onto which we can base our jurisdiction, and the procedure we are taking is […] to build the concept of municipalities and local governments that gradually lead to a central government […] it’s not something we can do immediately, it takes time, but it is where we are headed,” he continued.
Qaddafi, who is President of Qaddafi International Foundation for Charity and Development, and the Libyan National Association for Drugs and Narcotics Control, has recently enjoyed great popularity for his ideas on bringing reform to Libya, a country that was paradoxically for the past two decades, in the grip of dictatorship, scandal, terrorism, and partial distribution of resources.
In addressing federal efforts to reinvigorate self-entrepreneurship in Libya, Qaddafi continued discussing Libyan affairs by explaining that “the Libyan government is now increasing the capital available for aspiring entrepreneurs so that we can begin incubating development throughout the country […] and is matched by $200 million being invested in housing and infrastructure.”
Thundering questions surrounding Libya’s recent decision on freeing political prisoners and terrorists were pointed at him, to which he explained that by substituting its previously punitive system with a rehabilitative system of reintegration into society, society as a whole may improve.
“The idea here is to understand why they acted that way and to instill in them [the idea of community ownership] and to convince them that we are not enemies, and that we must work together towards a common goal, one peaceful society, and to work out our differences,” he explained.
On women’s affairs, a steadily scrutinized topic in Muslim countries, a proud Qaddafi explained that Libyan women are as powerful and are enjoying equal status to men.
“Women in Libya are powerful and are active in every aspect of our lives […] they exist in every ministry, in every company, in diplomacy, the military and,” he continued humorously, “they can drive!”
“A big mistake that was made in Libya is to have neglected Libyan communities living abroad. This was such a big mistake,” he admitted. “Now, we are trying to meet with them, and planning to give them all the incentives and reassurances we can so that they can begin participating in, and contributing to, Libyan daily life.”
“We are making lists so that we can [begin communicating with them], like in Canada, America, in Europe […] and let them know that we are aware of their challenges such as those who had assets confiscated, and that they shouldn’t fear coming back and getting arrested.”
Though his plans for the Libyan youth are ambitious, a realistic Qaddafi admits that “all these plans are long-term, and will not take a couple of days or a couple of years to implement. It takes time, but we are moving in the right direction,” he concluded.
Qaddafi’s lengthy lecture delivered “a thoroughly informative overview of the post-colonial Libya and the steps being taken to fulfill the aspirations of its young generation,” concluded AUC President David Arnold in a final statement thanking the young leader.
Jason James, 22, an American Political Science exchange student, said he was looking forward to Qaddafi’s speech, “because we can learn the real stuff about Libya instead of the same old idea of it being a crazy place.”
Qaddafi is said to be groomed to succeed his father’s rule in leading the North African country, an allegation he continues to deny.
A PhD graduate from the prestigious London School of Economics, Qaddafi is part of the young generation of Libyan figures who believe in the profound grassroots impact on the status quo, and has used his academic and economic leverage to become an active architect and owner of the largest architectural agency in Libya, striving to improve housing and infrastructure in the country.
