No Result
View All Result
Saturday, September 23, 2023
28 °c
Tripoli
25 ° Sun
24 ° Mon
24 ° Tue
24 ° Wed
  • Advertising
  • Contact
LibyaHerald
 
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
LibyaHerald
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

Opinion: The Priority — Disarmament or Elections ?

byMichel Cousins
February 26, 2012
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
12
SHARES
52
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

by Umar Khan

There are many challenges facing Libya’s interim government. These include, but are not limited to, the disarmament of the . . .[restrict]population and militias, free and fair elections, treatment of injured FF’s, independent trials of the detainees and transparency within their own ranks. One might think it’s a little too much to ask from an interim government but it’s part of their job description and managing a country after a bloody revolution is not an easy task to begin with.

The multitasking will be the key to take Libya forward as there is so much work that needs to be done which requires a collective effort to get things achieved on time. Nobody, however, should hesitate to contribute individually as the ultimate goal is progress towards a stable and sovereign state. It will be really important to see how the interim government prioritizes the issues here.

The next big debate is whether the elections should be postponed till the completion of the disarmament procedure. This is a very serious issue as many fear that if the elections are held in a situation in which almost everybody has access to automatic weapons, things will become very bloody and instead of making progress, Libya will become mired in the problems of the militias.

There are a number of militias which have clearly indicated that they will not hand over their weapons until there is a proper national army able to secure the whole country. Many others have made identical statements, saying they will only give up their weapons to people they trust. These statements are a matter of concern, not only to Libyans but to neighboring countries as well since there is always a chance that weapons might fall into the wrong hands.

RELATED POSTS

Civil Aviation Authority concludes meetings with Turkish Civil Aviation team inspecting airports for possible return of Turkish airliners

Eastern Libya authorities must lift restrictions on journalists: Amnesty International

The presence of automatic weapons in such large numbers poses a great challenge to law enforcement agencies which are almost non-existent at the moment. The only way to ensure that security and normality returns to the cities is to clear the streets of weapons. The best way to achieve this is to make the people feel so secure that they will freely hand over their weapons to the state.

It is unlikely that disarmament can be achieved between now and the elections in June.  If it does not happen by then the National Transition Council (NTC) may feel obliged to prolong its tenure and that of the interim government. This will only increase the discontent as the people want to see a quick transition into the next phase.

There have been many protests demanding swift changes by the NTC. In fact there was a protest in Benghazi in which people wanted the NTC to be dissolved and they even broke into the NTC headquarters.

It is not unusual, after 42 years of authoritarian rule, that people should want to move in two different directions at the same time after but this has to be handled carefully. The interim government is doing a good job by sticking to all deadlines to lead the country to elections on time and they absolutely do not want to prolong their tenure. They are trying to establish their writ in the country in order to ensure law and order ahead of the elections. The NTC formed a committee to oversee the electoral procedure and take Libya to elections.

The electoral law of Libya that will take the country to its first elections in over 50 years was recently passed. It was drafted by two independent committees appointed by the NTC from the two major cities of the country, Tripoli and Benghazi. They released a draft of the law for feedback from the people. This draft law was heavily criticized by both voters and political parties. The committee then tabled a modified draft that was passed after days of discussions and more modifications.

The elections should be held in June if the electoral law is implemented as written. This means the people will elect 200 members to the national congress. This means less than 6 months to prepare for the elections, including the registration of voters and the political campaigns themselves. This will not only keep the people busy but it will empower the interim government to exert control on all parts of the country.

The elected congress will have the faith and complete support of the people since the actual source of power will be the people themselves. The people will feel important and they will cooperate with the government on all matters such as disarmament and the creation of the national army. They will persuade the brigades to disarm and join the army and thus solve one of the most serious problems. They will share the blame for mistakes and also take the credit for the good work done.

The government will be able to deal with all outstanding issues knowing that they have the consent of the people behind them. They will also be cautious with their actions as they will be held responsible for all their actions. This will help eliminate corruption as people in power will be afraid of the functioning and transparent accountability institutions.

The elected members will play the main role in dissolving the armed brigades in order to create the National Army. They will also get the people to hand over their weapons as the matter of the trust deficit will be gone. The people and the brigade commanders will listen to the congress members elected from their respective constituencies as they are responsible for the members’ being in the congress. They in fact voted the members into power.

The stability of Libya is directly related to the formation of the National Army. The only way to achieve this is to give all democratic institutions the proper valuation and this is only possible if you do not see random faces in power but only the ones that you have voted into power. Their decisions will thus be respected in their constituencies and this will pave the way for a weapon-free society and a stable and sovereign Libya.

Umar Khan can be found at twitter.com/umarnkhan [/restrict]

 
Share5Tweet3Share1

Related Posts

Libya

OpEd: And exactly how safe is Tripoli?

January 10, 2018
OpEd: Turkey’s foreign minister on tomorrow’s Istanbul conflict resolution conference
Libya

OpEd: Turkey’s foreign minister on tomorrow’s Istanbul conflict resolution conference

July 31, 2017
Op-Ed: Playing the Trump card in Libya
Libya

Op-Ed: Playing the Trump card in Libya

November 19, 2016
Opinion

Op-Ed: Libya after the spin and deception

December 21, 2015
Opinion

Op-Ed: The Art of Avoiding Dialogue

December 16, 2015
Opinion

Op-Ed: Libya’s Article 13 – disagreeing over the political agreement

October 12, 2015
Next Post
Turkey warns Al-Kib on security

Turkey warns Al-Kib on security

Clinton wants better Algerian-Libyan relations; Jalil warns they depend on extraditing Qaddafi family

 

Advertise on LibyaHerald

Reach thousands of our site visitors daily

240 x 400px

Advertise Here
ADVERTISEMENT

Top Stories

  • Derna disaster update: Five Greek aid workers die in road accident, Spanish and Maltese teams return home

    Derna disaster update: Five Greek aid workers die in road accident, Spanish and Maltese teams return home

    92 shares
    Share 37 Tweet 23
  • Latest UN satellite imagery shows extent of Storm Daniel destruction in Derna

    119 shares
    Share 48 Tweet 30
  • Attorney General launches investigation into Derna dam failures, as aid continues to arrive by air and sea

    69 shares
    Share 28 Tweet 17
  • UN’s Derna overview: Officially, only 3,958 confirmed dead and 40,000 displaced

    60 shares
    Share 24 Tweet 15
  • Tripoli and Hafter’s army working side-by-side – A roundup of the eastern rescue effort

    182 shares
    Share 75 Tweet 45
LibyaHerald

The Libya Herald first appeared on 17 February 2012 – the first anniversary of the Libyan Revolution. Since then, it has become a favourite go-to source on news about Libya, for many in Libya and around the world, regularly attracting millions of hits.

Recent News

Civil Aviation Authority concludes meetings with Turkish Civil Aviation team inspecting airports for possible return of Turkish airliners

Eastern Libya authorities must lift restrictions on journalists: Amnesty International

Sitemap

  • Why subscribe?
  • Terms & Conditions
  • FAQs
  • Copyright & Intellectual Property Rights
  • Subscribe now

Newsletters

    Be the first to know latest important news & events directly to your inbox.

    Sending ...

    By signing up, I agree to our TOS and Privacy Policy.

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Login
    • Sign Up
    • Cart
    • Libya
    • Business
    • Advertising
    • About us
    • BusinessEye Magazine
    • Letters
    • Features
    • Why subscribe?
    • FAQs
    • Contact

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    Welcome Back!

    Sign In with Facebook
    Sign In with Linked In
    OR

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password? Sign Up

    Create New Account!

    Sign Up with Facebook
    Sign Up with Linked In
    OR

    Fill the forms bellow to register

    *By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
    All fields are required. Log In

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In
    This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
    Are you sure want to unlock this post?
    Unlock left : 0
    Are you sure want to cancel subscription?