By Matovu Muhammad Idris
A great revolution does not crumble, likewise a strong tyrannical dictatorial regime can never hurtle without the cause having not emerged from within, before it can emerge from without. Thanks to all the actors acted from within and from without which led to the downfall of the 42 years dictatorial regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
Down the memory lane, as a young man and journalist ever worked with The Tripoli Post newspaper those days when there was darkness in the noon. It was so frustrating then, it required beyond one?s immense hardworking capacity to come-out with the piece of news without having implicated himself or the newspaper he works for per se.
It?s beyond one?s surprise to hear and see that Libya can now exercise a free media and press, not to forget having established a free-media center, such a giant step to mankind, bravo comrades. To have a totally free press is not actually an incident but a process; there is much hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel no matter how the trend can momentarily be still hazy.
Life is truly a riddle, Libya and Libyans to speak without fear! Freedom of speech lies in one?s ability to express his/her view, and freedom of choice still, is attainable based on one?s knowledge upon his/her best alternative.
But, when Gaddafi was still ruling, the news platform in Libya was a one man?s show. Television channels, newspapers and radios were his political megaphones; only to ascertain that the dictator then can be able to blow his own trumpet.
As a journalist then, I myself acknowledged that what can?t be cured one has to endure it; it was simply to do what Romans do in Rome. Sometimes, we could wakeup in the morning only to find a notice on our office doors, then on Burju Al-Fatiha (Al-Fatiha Towers) now renamed Tripoli Towers, ordering us to close our offices, just only because Gaddafi and his diehards were not comfortable with the news publication issued out. This was routinely done not considering whether the news items published were accurate or not.
Dictatorship culminates to cultism, for Gaddafi, he was the alpha and the omega, the pillar of knowledge (Al-Muallim), the great thinker (Mufaqqir), the engineer (Al-Mu-andis) to many of his Hench-men, then to a common man Libyan, this led the rot of the regime run to the very marrow of the nation, what a travesty?
It?s undoubtedly that, a leader has to be good listener, listen to ideas at least if not to the facts. It?s the work of the press or media in general to inform, sensitize, make the public aware and finally bridge the gap between the leaders and the masses, unfortunately, dictators they are forever strive to create two different worlds; their own world and the world for those whom they dictate to.
For the media or a journalist to operate under a dictatorial regime like that of 42 years tyrannical rule of Gaddafi was simply to operate between the devil and Lucifer. Much like other African dictators, Gaddafi was a megalomaniac and suffered from paranoia. He considered anyone; a political critic as a potential enemy that required elimination. During his regime, of course many of his critics faced his macabre and many did not escape his guillotine.
Not only The Tripoli Post as a privately owned newspaper faced discomfort and suppression, but also the government owned media channels, Imams and religious leaders had to dance to the tune of the deceased dictator. Who ever tried to go contrary was either branded a traitor or someone rebelling against the state, as for Gaddafi was the state and the state was him.
As a young man and a journalist, I used to write whichever that pleased the master, the dictator, contrary to that; I would stand a chance to face charges of espionage due to the fact that, I was a foreigner. No doubt that, all Libyans were living in perpetual fear and everyone was suspicious of one another; it was a situation of a police state.
As the change has emerged, the protracted people?s revolution has been not paved by beds of roses; many lives were sacrificed not for bad but for the good or even better. Let it be a lesson to all those concerned that, ?The only place where there is no dissenting voice to raise is a graveyard? freedom of choice, speech, freedom of press and access to information is the cornerstone of democracy. All these must be guaranteed for the better Libya.
A great revolution does not crumble, likewise a strong tyrannical dictatorial regime can never hurtle without the cause having not emerged from within, before it can emerge from without. Thanks to all the actors acted from within and from without which led to the downfall of the 42 years dictatorial regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
Down the memory lane, as a young man and journalist ever worked with The Tripoli Post newspaper those days when there was darkness in the noon. It was so frustrating then, it required beyond one?s immense hardworking capacity to come-out with the piece of news without having implicated himself or the newspaper he works for per se.
It?s beyond one?s surprise to hear and see that Libya can now exercise a free media and press, not to forget having established a free-media center, such a giant step to mankind, bravo comrades. To have a totally free press is not actually an incident but a process; there is much hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel no matter how the trend can momentarily be still hazy.
Life is truly a riddle, Libya and Libyans to speak without fear! Freedom of speech lies in one?s ability to express his/her view, and freedom of choice still, is attainable based on one?s knowledge upon his/her best alternative.
But, when Gaddafi was still ruling, the news platform in Libya was a one man?s show. Television channels, newspapers and radios were his political megaphones; only to ascertain that the dictator then can be able to blow his own trumpet.
As a journalist then, I myself acknowledged that what can?t be cured one has to endure it; it was simply to do what Romans do in Rome. Sometimes, we could wakeup in the morning only to find a notice on our office doors, then on Burju Al-Fatiha (Al-Fatiha Towers) now renamed Tripoli Towers, ordering us to close our offices, just only because Gaddafi and his diehards were not comfortable with the news publication issued out. This was routinely done not considering whether the news items published were accurate or not.
Dictatorship culminates to cultism, for Gaddafi, he was the alpha and the omega, the pillar of knowledge (Al-Muallim), the great thinker (Mufaqqir), the engineer (Al-Mu-andis) to many of his Hench-men, then to a common man Libyan, this led the rot of the regime run to the very marrow of the nation, what a travesty?
It?s undoubtedly that, a leader has to be good listener, listen to ideas at least if not to the facts. It?s the work of the press or media in general to inform, sensitize, make the public aware and finally bridge the gap between the leaders and the masses, unfortunately, dictators they are forever strive to create two different worlds; their own world and the world for those whom they dictate to.
For the media or a journalist to operate under a dictatorial regime like that of 42 years tyrannical rule of Gaddafi was simply to operate between the devil and Lucifer. Much like other African dictators, Gaddafi was a megalomaniac and suffered from paranoia. He considered anyone; a political critic as a potential enemy that required elimination. During his regime, of course many of his critics faced his macabre and many did not escape his guillotine.
Not only The Tripoli Post as a privately owned newspaper faced discomfort and suppression, but also the government owned media channels, Imams and religious leaders had to dance to the tune of the deceased dictator. Who ever tried to go contrary was either branded a traitor or someone rebelling against the state, as for Gaddafi was the state and the state was him.
As a young man and a journalist, I used to write whichever that pleased the master, the dictator, contrary to that; I would stand a chance to face charges of espionage due to the fact that, I was a foreigner. No doubt that, all Libyans were living in perpetual fear and everyone was suspicious of one another; it was a situation of a police state.
As the change has emerged, the protracted people?s revolution has been not paved by beds of roses; many lives were sacrificed not for bad but for the good or even better. Let it be a lesson to all those concerned that, ?The only place where there is no dissenting voice to raise is a graveyard? freedom of choice, speech, freedom of press and access to information is the cornerstone of democracy. All these must be guaranteed for the better Libya.
