Gaddafi’s Libyan Jamahiriya Pt. 1
On the 19th March 2011, the NATO-led coalition began their imperialist intervention in Libya, they would like to you to believe that this intervention was taking down a wicked dictatorship led by the “evil” Muammar Gaddafi, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Western propaganda wants to vilify the Libyan Jamahiriya because of the achievements and anti-imperialist stance of the Libyan Jamahiriya. In part one we will be taking a look at some of the major achievements, before we look at anything else such as post Jamahiriya Libya. These will be the Socialist achievements that made the people’s lives a lot more fulfilling and in general a lot greater.
A home was considered a human right
”The house is a basic need of both the individual and the family, therefore it should not be owned by others” Gaddafi states in his political philosophy book The Green Book, which was published in 1975. Gaddafi vowed that he would not secure a house for his own parents and himself until every citizen had one. Gaddafi’s father had died while he, his wife and his mother were all still living in a tent. Gaddafi waited for everyone in Libya to be housed, before he housed his family and himself.
Education and Medical treatment was free
Universal access to primary education was achieved in a relatively short space of time under the Libyan Jamahiriya, if a Libyan citizen could not access or find their desired educational course or the right medical treatment the government would have funded for them to go abroad. Before the Jamahiriya only 25% of Libyans were literate, the Libyan Jamahiriya rose this statistic to 87%, with 25% of Libyans now starting to earn Univesity degrees. Libya boasted some of the best healthcare services in the Middle East and Africa. This was just not only free but they was also given $2,300 US Dollars a month for their car allowance and accommodation.
There was no electricity bills in Libya, electricity was free
Electricity being free meant that there was absolutely no electricity bills in Libya at all.
The Great Manmade River Project
The Libyan Jamahiriya also carried out the world’s largest irrigation project, this was called Great Manmade River Project (GMR). The aim of this was to make water available throughout the entirety of the desert nation of Libya. The project was entirely funded by the government. Gaddafi called this ”the eighth wonder of the world”. The GMR consists of more than 1,300 wells, most more than 500m deep, and supplies 6,500,000m3 of freshwater per day to cities such as Benghazi, Sirte, Tripoli and many other cities and places.
Libyan oil sales given to every citizen
The Libyan Jamahiriya launched a programme to distribute the sales from Libyan oil to every Libyan citizen, the programme was launched on 21st February 2011. This programme would provide $21,000 to every Libyan. This was to eliminate the theft of oil by foreign corporations and to prevent corruption.
A helping hand to newlyweds
All newlyweds in Libya would receive 60,000 Libyan Dinar (which is $50,000 US Dollars). This would help them buy things such as their first car(s), this was to also help them start a family. It was also true that the Libyan Jamahiriya provided newlyweds with housing.
Libyan Jamahiriya State Bank
Libyan Jamahiriya had its own State bank, this was so that they could provide loans to their people at zero percent interest by law and so that they had no external debt.
A bursary was given to mothers with newborns
When a Libyan woman had a child, she would have been given the equivalent of $5000 US Dollars, this was to help her and the child.
Gender Equality
Under the Libyan Jamahiriya, women could wear whatever they wanted to and they could also work where ever they wanted to, this was a great advancement in society that the Libyan people had achieved. The United Nations Human Rights Council praised Gaddafi for the women’s rights in Libya. Unlike Arab nations who ally with the U.S. such as Saudi Arabia, women in Libya had the right to education, hold jobs, divorce, hold property, and have an income. In 1969 when the Libyan coup took place, very few women went to university. Now, more than half of Libya’s university students are women. Gaddafi passed in 1970 the equal pay for equal work law, before the U.S. passed a similar law. Libyan women could also retire at age 55.
There was no food shortages and the people had ate well
The World Health Organisation confirmed that the daily calorie intake was 3144, with the undernourishment rate less than 5%.
Libya’s Human Development Index
Libya was ranked 53 out of 163 of the countries on the list, this is much greater than most countries from the Global South and even some Western countries. It was reported in 2009, that the Libyan Jamahiriya was going to achieve Millennium Development Goals before 2015.
No external debt
The Libyan Jamahiriya had no external debt at all, it even had reserves of $150 billion. Compare this to the U.S., their debt is well over $18 Trillion.
Cheap Petrol
Petrol Cost $0,14 per litre during the Libyan Jamahiriya, which was the 3rd most cheap in the world.
You was able to start a farming business for free
The Libyan Jamahiriya government would have given you a farm, a house, land, seeds and livestock for completely free.
Plans For a Gold Dinar
The Jamahiriya had started planning to stop selling Libyan oil in U.S. dollars instead, the Libyan Jamahiriya wanted a payment in gold-backed dinars. This would be a single African currency that would be completely made from gold. Other Arab, Middle Eastern and African countries were willing to get behind this plan. The Libyan Jamahiriya, was sitting on around a 150 tons of gold. This apparently had potential to bring down the wold monetary system and U.S. dollar. The West was scared of the Libyan Jamahiriya’s plan. The French President at the time (Nicolas Sarkozy) had called the Libyan Jamahiriya “a threat to the financial security of the world”.
Summary
From what we can see the Libyan Jamahiriya had accomplished many things. People like to paint the leader of the Libyan revolution Gaddafi to be an evil “dictator” who didn’t care about his people and only about himself, this from what is shown is a proven lie. Gaddafi cared not just about his people, he cared about all people. If he didn’t why would he go out of his way to improve things for the people of Libya and the world?
