“We need to inspire a culture of forgiveness...”
Still a long way to go.
Not only have 600,000 Libyans voted this year (half of the country’s registered voters) but as of the July 3, 23 election centers out of 120 have been annulled due to evidence of vote rigging.
There has also been a stark shift from the optimism and drive during the voting campaigns in 2012, which saw a turnout of nearly 3 million people going about their civil duties, to what can only be described as a disenchanted public in 2014.
The Libyan state needs urgent reform, a task often slowed to a crawl by an overly bureaucratic system, long embedded corruption and the interference in legislation by ‘strong-handed’ influencers. The end result of the past two to three years has been a disillusioned nation, completely disconnected and alienated from the political process. This has left Congress and Parliament appearing inert on litigation and the implementation of reforms.
Libya is not the first nation to be challenged in a climate of civil unrest and it won’t be the last. However, it is distinguished in a national discord that is rooted in the division of political identity as opposed to ethnic or social disputes, i.e. those loyal to the previous regime vs the February 17th Revolutionaries.
If any election is to encourage any confidence in a new Libya, it must attract its citizens with a progressive leadership. Libyan legislators must identify that there is a huge diaspora of displaced Libyans who cannot return to their homes in fear of endangering themselves and their families. A country cannot make decisions of any longevity when up to 1.5 million Libyans are effectively exiled or displaced (out of a population of 5.5 million). Furthermore, former politicians and senior administrators, whose skilled careers are required to run the State, cannot be alienated with questionable political isolation laws. This has left a void that has been filled with many inexperienced legislator administrations and in turn, caused the incumbent government – although arguably working hard at a difficult period – to appear moving at a pace that is unsatisfactory to the Libyan people.
Any elections taking place at this time under-represents the Libyan people by a huge margin; the evidence is in the voter turn-out. This is the time for national dialogue; we need to inspire a culture of forgiveness amongst Libyans, who fought against each other in exceptional circumstances, to rebuild a sustainable future together. This would bridge Libyans together and regain a confidence in their political representatives and reestablish Libya’s security and sovereignty in the near future. Implementing a democratic process that closely involves the Libyan citizen and that represents the majority is the ultimate mission in the end.
- Abdullah Elneihum is a Libyan official based in London.
