GADDAFI, CELEBRATING FORTY YEARS OF ANTI-DEMOCRACY DESPOTISM?

As the strongman of Libya celebrates his 40 years of despotic stranglehold on the people of Libya, Icheoku says, such a tyrant deserves not be celebrated! He is such anti-democratic influence in Africa, that he ought to be shunned by the entire democratic world and not in anyway, be acknowledged on this day.

Col Muammar Gaddaffi is a pariah and should so remain! He should be completely ignored, all the oil fields beneath the sand-dunes of Libya notwithstanding? But unfortunately the world does not work that way, as it appears to consider oil-economic interest superior to leveling the playing field for everyone including Libyans! A people whose thirst for freedom and democracy is just like any other free peoples of this earth; but who have been completely subjugated and zombified by the hench-men, thugs and goons of Muammar Gaddafi; into a people who can only chorus their love and affection of their dear leader - their worst nemesis?

How can just one man, unabashedly, maintain a one-man dictatorship over Libya all these years, and the Western preachers and propagators of democracy worldwide, choose to over-look the sacrilege in Tripoli; and are comfortable, cavorting with him? A man who late President Ronald Reagan appositely, once described as the 'mad dog of the Arab world'? What has changed so radically that this man is now being courted by practically everyone, from the Italians to the French to the Russians to the Brits, who recently released a convicted terrorist Megrahi as a quid prop quo for doing business with Tripoli? Only America is still dragging its feet with reason, despite the overtures of the former Bush administration to Libya? Icheoku finds it very troubling that while the rest of Africa is being cajoled to democratise or to respect the wishes of their electorates as expressed through the ballot, no one is seriously mentioning Libya as falling within the pack that need to change their way?

This is a country that has been under a brute dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi since the past forty years and counting; culminating to his today's flag-off chest-beating of holding Libyans hostage for this long and too long - four long decades and counting? Icheoku asks WHY? From Berlusconi to Sarkozy, to Brown to Medvedev, everyone is in mad frenzy to woe and fall in love with Gaddafi; and you ask yourself 'is the black liquid gold now so treasured that it is worth more than the Libyan peoples' freedom?' Or possibly, could it be that these Western preachers of democracy have a hidden agenda with respective countries, far beyond what CNN tells the world or that which are disclosed? If Iraq's Saddam Hussein was hung to make way for democracy, why not then find a fitting noose for Gaddafi? Why the double standards of treating two despotic anti-democracy thugs? Put in another way, why engage a despotic Gaddafi who has not only preached against democracy, but had gone out of his way on several occasions to encourage other African leaders to graduate into sit-tight depots! Majority of the coups in Africa have the signature and backing of Gaddafi; and this is a man notorious for sabotaging any seemingly stabilizing government in Africa and who would rather his minions are put in place throughout every African country's capital so that his dream of being crowned the King of Kings of Africa with real political teeth may come to fruition, being easily fast-tracked by them? And you tell Icheoku, a man with such a burning ambition is sane?

Anyway, it is not our plan here to be-labour Muammar Gaddafi's nut case, but suffice it to say on the occasion of his 'forty-years of hostage-taking' in Tripoli, the world should look inwards and find a way to implant democracy in Libya but not to continue cuddling and courting this straggler of the Libyan desert; or in anyway glorify the dictatorship which he is practising in Tripoli. To ignore this warning and continue to romance Tripoli as is, will continue to encourage the likes of Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and to some extent the Olusegun Obasanjos of Nigeria to continually misread the handwriting on the wall, and say it is ok to be a sit-tight ruler? Omar Bongo was one such animal, with French encouragement and support until he passed on recently? Mobutu Sesesekuo had the same smooth ride? Egyptian Hosni Mubarak is still in office at 80 plus odd years and for over 30years and still receives red-carpet treatment in Washington DC? The man from the land of the Pharaohs is a poster boy for double standards in propagating democracy! Enough should be enough and let a level playing field be planned out for the entire Africa, that every leader there becomes a democrat; but to sing different tunes to different leaderships in Africa fuels the resentment of the West's led by America subjective foreign policy of democratisation! Muammar Gaddafi is not a democrat, he is anti-opinions and should be forced to change or forced out; better still Saddam Hussein's treatment may otherwise be very appropriate and befitting his despotism!

And now this man is growing in impetus and influence, aspiring one day to become the ruler of all Africa - the King of Kings and the Lord of the manor of Africa! He is also finding new friends and allys' and one of note is Venezuela's Hugo Chavez? The once colonel is now a general, and you ask yourself what a mockery of the uniform? Icheoku says, if Muammar Gaddafi believes that he is the answer to the Libyan question, what Libyans want and desire; and that he is loved by the people, why does he need to hide behind a double armour plated bullet-proof glass to protect him? From who then, Icheoku may add? Why a six day lavish celebration befitting an ubiquitous 'King of Kings of Africa', when so many Libyans go to bed each night without food in their stomach? What a scandalous self-adulatory fanfare, a trademark of crazed-out despots of Africa, who deserve to be led to the lamp-post; but are instead left to wallow in the vainglory of vanities, being the lord and master of their subjugated African country people? What will God or Allah or Yahweh not judge? And their place, the hottest molten magma of hell.

It will be recalled that Gaddafi took power on 1 September, 1969, as a young 27 year old colonel, after a coup against King Idris. Icheoku have zero tolerance for despots and sit-tight rulers; and so does not wish Muammar Gaddafi well on this occasion of his 40 years compelled leadership! Instead we ask him to democratise fast and get out of the way for Libya to truly evolve. A good Muslim does not behave like Gaddafi, who smokes, womanises and is cruel to his people. Which sane man will rather chose to be the only sighted man in his country when other men and women who possibly see better than he does, are forced under the pain of torture and sometimes death, into turning blind eye to all that is wrong with Gaddafi's regime? Icheoku says, it sucks to be a Gaddafi and shame on him for suffocating Libyans these past 40 years; as the all knowing, sole administrator and owner of Libya! What a psychotic jerk this desert dweller is! Away with Maummar Gaddafi, democratise Libya now!