Libya News: When western powers support ‘revolution’ in Libya!

A progressive Western writer in a commentary sourced on the Internet.

Mid last month, two Western leaders whose nations were Africa’s former colonial powers, France and Britain made a joint “state” visit to Tripoli, Libya. These were French President Nicholas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron whose countries and the US, under the umbrella of Nato had occupied Libya’s airspace and provided military air support to anti-Gaddafi insurgents now in charge in Libya.

They were in Libya apparently to celebrate the ouster of Gaddafi and offer moral support to the new men they have propped up in that country. But their joint official visit and the statements they made hailing the “Libyan Revolution” certainly raised eyebrows across the globe. Those raised eyebrows mostly included of those who know the history of Africa and the role of these former colonial powers and their conduct to genuine people’s revolutions elsewhere.

Since when has the West praised “revolutions” especially the genuine ones that sought to upset the imperial global establishment or cut off the apron string that tie western capital to the developing world?

Listening to the French and British leaders utter the word “revolution” coming to Libya sounded intriguing if not amusing, don’t they?

Has there been any Western leader who had hailed the Cuban Revolution spearheaded by Fidel Castro and Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, which terminated the US-backed military junta in 1959?

 

Which Western power supported socialist Salvador Allende of Chile who was democratically elected to power in Chile? Is it not true that he was nipped in the bud by a CIA-sponsored putsch?

In post-colonial Africa, we have seen leaders being murdered just because they gave more promise to the sanctity of the resources in the interest of their own people than the interests of western powers.

Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba was nipped in the bud in a CIA-inspired coup which brought to power Mobutu Sese Seko who proved to be the most corrupt leader in Africa but was tolerated by the West because he was their foreman taking care of the resources of the country on their behalf.

Over the years, for those of us who have been around for quite sometime, we have stood witness either to covert or overt acts of re-colonising Africa — neocolonialism especially in countries where natural resources are abundant.

But few of our African leaders or those in the developing world realise that agencies in the western capitals of the world work on a long-term agenda on the political evolutions in our respective countries.

Western spy agencies know exactly who is who in our respective countries and the political forces at play and how to manipulate them to get surrogates or marionettes for the express purpose of controlling our respective countries natural resources.

Someone once enticed to me that it was inconceivable that the founder President of this country Julius Nyerere, an anti-imperialist could die of leukemia at an advanced age of 77.

“He was clearly bumped off by the same powers wishing to rest their hands on the natural resources of this country such as minerals. Look at what has happened to this country after his death. Is our country getting anything out of the mineral wealth of this country” the man asked me. I had no answer!

Such theories may look far-fetched but look at the double standards of the same western powers – vis-a-vis – what is now described as the ‘Arab Spring’.Simultaneous to developments in Libya, we have been following the news in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain. The guys going for leaders in these countries have been pretty ruthless.

Whereas Gaddafi had allowed journalists even from the West to follow the story right in his country, the leaders in these three countries have not.The embattled people and not journalists post the pictures we see on television. They are posted on the Internet.

The guys at the helm of these countries especially the one in Syria is pretty ruthless. The guy in Damascus literally orders tanks against his own people in crowded streets like Dar es Salaam’s Congo street or Vingunguti! The question is: Why didn’t Nato impose a “no fly zone” to effect change in Syria?

The answer to this question is found in a quote at the beginning of this article.

Now that the job seems to be finished, it is time to sign contracts to take charge of Libyan oil. The “aid” that is likely to be ploughed into Libya will be the same money deposited by the Gaddafi government into western banks which was seized by countries which spear-headed the occupation of Libya’s airspace.

This perspective should not imply that Muammar Gaddafi was an angel. He had his own serious lack of foresight like staying in power as though he was another King Idris, the Libyan former King; he deposed 42 years ago and stayed in power just as long.

But it will not take a long time before these so called “revolutionaries” – the armed groups which have ousted Gaddafi with the help of Nato (who look like soccer hooligans with guns!) – are exposed to the people of Libya on the reality of their credentials. Neocolonialism is on the reign in Africa!

Mr Makwaia wa Kuhenga is a senior Tanzanian journalist and author.

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