Tripoli, Libya—The Sirte II summit on the African Union being held from 1-2 March, coincides with the celebration Friday of a special event in Libya’s political calendar.
This is the 24th anniversary of the proclamation of the power of the people with the change in Libya’s political status and constitution from a republican regime to that of the Jamahiriya or the State of the masses.
From 1977, when the changes took place, Libya has been divided into a
large number of grassroots peoples’ congresses which, in
compliance with the teachings of the Green Book
written by
Col. Moammar Kadhafi, decide the country’s internal and external
policies.
They meet in ordinary sessions thrice yearly and hold extraordinary session whenever the need arises.
Their decisions are recorded by the general people congress (GPC), a sort of parliament which regroups the peoples congresses, workers’ unions and professional associations before being forwarded to the general peoples’ committees (ministries), for implementation.
The Libyan peoples’ congresses (the highest legislative body in Libya) has, since 1977, rejected several of Col. Kadhafi’s proposals, particularly regarding the abolition of the death penalty in Libya and the restructuring of agriculture in the Libyan coastal strip.
These major changes constitute the realisation of Col. Kadhafi’s dream to change his country’s social, economic and political structure, when he put an end to the feudal regime of King Idris in 1969, and closed all foreign military bases in the country.
Col. Kadhafi, born of a poor family in the Sirte gulf region of central Libya, had as a child dreamt of effecting changes in his country.
Thus in the first statement made after he took power, he wrote: We
revolted on behalf of the poor and the oppressed. Henceforth, there
will be no more poor or oppressed in our society and a new era has
just begun in our country.
The Green Book, which summarises this concept, was published in 1975 in three parts, offering solutions to the democratic, economic and social issues on the basis of human society.
On the basis of the teachings contained in this document, Col. Kadhafi, who sustained the dream of the oppressed and the poor the world over, was able to transform his country in record time.
Today all Libyan cities and villages are busy trying to outdo each another in cleaning exercise in readiness for the commemoration of this event to which the extraordinary OAU (Sirte II) summit adds a special radiance.
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