Tripoli: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, marked the 37th anniversary of the coup d'etat that brought him to power by urging his supporters to "kill enemies" if they asked for political change.
The hardline comment, made in a speech on state television, on Thursday, runs counter to recent hopes of political reform.
Opponents abroad had said they hoped that Gaddafi might hint at political change in Thursday's speech.
His son Saif Al Islam recently told Libyans their country was in a political impasse and needed reforms.
But Gaddafi said those who hope for political change in Libya see its people as "ignorant and immature".
"Our enemies have been crushed inside Libya and you have to be ready to kill them if they emerge anew," he said.
"Our political path is the correct one as it grants freedom to the whole people, sovereignty, power and wealth to the whole people," Gaddafi said, referring to Libya's Jamahiriya direct democracy system, which opposes Western liberal democracy and criminalises the creation of opposition parties.
Gaddafi's comments appeared to be aimed at energising his supporters and follows speeches in which he criticised the country's economic and social performance.
"If the enemy shows up you must finish it off because the enemy appears to exterminate you. We can not tolerate that the enemy undermines the power of the people and the revolution," Gaddafi said in a clear reference to political opponents, most of them based abroad.
