By Abdullah Alkabir, political writer and commentator
Malicious calls to abandon celebrations of the February Revolution
As the anniversary of the February Revolution approaches, repeated calls discouraging people from celebrating it emerge, citing the current reality created by the revolution. They argue that the country enjoyed security and safety in the past, referencing the "ten loaves of bread for a quarter of a dinar" during the former regime. However, such calls were largely ignored as most cities were adorned with independence flags and portraits of martyrs. People of all ages took to the streets to celebrate, dismissing the discouraging calls mostly made by groups not in favor of the revolution that disrupted their peace and contentment or because they were not honored to support and participate in it, or are remnants of the former regime’s supporters.
There is no doubt that the current situation, nearly a decade and a half later, is unacceptable. Many of the rosy slogans and dreams envisioned during and after the revolution have not been realized. The country is plagued by conflict and division, foreign armed intervention, encroachments by militias, and unstable economic and financial conditions. Nevertheless, people cling to hope, believing that this reality is temporary and will eventually change. The revolution's mission must be guided towards peace and calm. This is a fundamental reason for celebrating the revolution's anniversary, to honor the martyrs and to not let the great sacrifices made to end tyranny, injustice, and chaos go in vain.
The call for people not to celebrate the anniversary is part of a phased approach that begins by downplaying its importance and encouraging people to reject it. Not commemorating the revolution is the first step to erasing it from people's memories. At the same time, there are efforts to make people yearn for the past through misleading information, erasing the facts of injustice, corruption, and disdain for the people, and highlighting what groups hostile to the revolution consider to be achievements. They frequently reference the "ten loaves of bread for a quarter of a dinar" as an example. In a future article, we will explore the reasons behind Gaddafi's subsidies for bread and basic food items, and the positive and negative aspects of such subsidies. As for security and safety, they rely on people forgetting the live executions during Ramadan and the fear instilled by the regime and its repressive apparatus. They also neglect the development of the country's infrastructure, transportation network projects, and the growth of small and medium-sized industries, which are necessary for increasing agricultural and fishing production, among other things that document the systematic sabotage of all aspects of life.
After erasing February from memory, remnants of the former regime's gangs and groups that benefited from it reappear to reinforce their absurd narratives about the wonderful Jamahiriya system and its supposed achievements, claiming they were only disrupted by foreign conspiracies.
There is no point in trying to convince these groups with overwhelming facts and conclusive evidence of the former regime's repeated betrayals against the homeland and its people, its clear failure to build genuine state institutions, its squandering of Libyans' dignity, and the marketing of illusions by replacing real action with fancy words. The destruction is comprehensive, but the banners bear the phrase "the Great," and decisions are made by a single person surrounded by a narrow circle, while false media markets lies about people ruling themselves through popular congresses and committees.
Without denying it, February has its mistakes, and this is the nature of revolutions which sometimes involve excessive violence during the process of change. The former regime bears the largest share of responsibility for all the consequences and repercussions during the revolution and beyond. The bitter harvest of these years is the result of the seeds of violence, hatred, and sedition, and the culture of flattery and hypocrisy accumulated during decades of tyranny. American political researcher Liz Anderson says: "Getting rid of the effects of tyranny may require a time comparable to the time of tyranny."
We will celebrate February despite all the distortion it has suffered, despite all the suffering, obstacles, and traps set for it, because it is an honor and pride that it overthrew a deified tyrant who, in his last years, turned into a global joke with his amusing speeches.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Libya Observer
