From the beginning of its existence, the NTC has never been a democratic body that represents Libyan people. It emerged through political struggle, its path shelled by the West’s bombs, states Patrick Hayes, a reporter from London.
“It is very much more an association of former cronies of Gaddafi, who were cherry-picked by Western leaders for their roles,” Hayes told RT. This does not give them much legitimacy in the eyes of the Libyan people, he stressed.The West basically waded into the civil war in Libya to bomb a path for the Transitional Council to follow. By so doing, these foreigners actually took the democratic initiative from the Libyan people, hindering the organic process of establishing democracy, the reporter explained.And it is Western powers who celebrated the murder of the former Libyan strongman, rather than the Libyan people themselves. “And now you have Cameron, Obama, Sarkozy championing this [the killing of Col. Gaddafi] as one of their achievements. Though they were never clear on that from the start,” claimed Hayes.
Anti-Islamic fears used to extend NATO presence
The country’s new leaders have announced that Islamic sharia law will form the basis of legislation in newly- liberated Libya. This has raised concerns, especially among women, despite Islamists insisting moderation will prevail. There are also anxieties over Libya no longer being a secular society, where all religions can expect to be treated fairly.Islamic tradition in Libya has always been moderate, so it is unlikely that extremism will emerge in the country’s political life, reassures Patrick Hayes.The bogeyman of Islamic extremism is only being used by NATO for scaremongering and to justify the continued military presence of the Western powers in the country, believes the reporter.However, the main problem is clear for all to see – the NTC, in reality a puppet of the West, depends entirely on foreign support and guidance. At the same time, it does not genuinely represent the people of Libya, but only serves the interests of the invaders.