Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif Al Islam went on Libyan TV in the early hours yesterday to defend his father's 42-year rule of Libya amid a barbaric government crackdown that saw troops and foreign mercenaries shooting unarmed demonstrators in Benghazi and other cities.
The first question that must be asked is, in what capacity is Saif Al Islam speaking to the Libyan people, warning them of a civil war and blaming the protests on opposition groups and outsiders? Without even an official role in Libya, he is nothing but the son of a authoritarian leader who has western appeal and travels to European capitals to make lucrative deals.
In focus: Unrest in the Middle East
In a rambling speech, Saif Al Islam showed his own desperation in trying to silence the people's protests and salvage his father's authoritarian rule. Warning of major repercussions, he stupidly thought he could blackmail the Libyan people into submission and continue to accept his father as their leader.
That he kept repeating in his speech that Libya is not Egypt or Tunisia means he is either in denial or refuses to accept that the Libyan people are as determined as their Egyptian and Tunisian brothers and sisters.
Secondly, what kind of a message is Saif Al Islam sending to the rest of the world when he speaks so poorly of his people, warning them that without his father, they wouldn't be able to cope and that they should "forget oil and petrol" and prepare themselves for occupation by "the West"?
Saif Al Islam represents the children of dogmatic Arab leaders who have grown up in their father's palaces and believe presidencies are guaranteed for life. Like others around him, Gaddafi would have loved to pass on the torch to his son and continue to deprive the Libyan people of proper governance and freedoms.
Judging by the reaction to the speech, Libyans are no longer willing to accept such cruelty and more than ever they are seeking justice and political freedom. Saif Al Islam made a grave mistake by addressing the people who are now more determined to topple his father's regime. He was better off working behind the scenes making those multi-million-dollar deals.
