Dear Editor,
I worked for 9 months in Libya during and after the revolution of 2011.
This was a . . .[restrict]remarkable time for the country, when everyone had the same target, the removal of Qadaffi.
People of all persuasions worked together. Differences were overlooked whilst people worked together to achieve the desired result.
It worked.
Now, the problem seems to be that Libya as a nation seems to be stuck in an impasse, due to differences of opinion. That is the challenge which democracy offers. In a democracy it is normal to have differences of opinion but it should not impede progress, getting things done.
Consensus is overvalued and almost impossible to achieve in any meaningful way across political, religious and other social divides. But compromise leading to purposeful, positive collaboration on agreed points plus continuing communication on points of disagreement will allow progress.
If Libya does not progress, it will undoubtedly regress and all those deaths will have been in vain.
As an outsider with a love and passion for Libya and Libyans, I would hate to see Libya implode due to lack of acceptance, but your future is in your hands.
It’s time to sit down, talk about what you want to achieve in 5 years and start making it happen from now.
Go for it.
Paul Bonett
Brighton, UK
(email address supplied) [/restrict]
