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By Bashir Mohamed Shkuka
The job diplomat to many would present a stereotype of someone driving around in a big chauffeur driven car, attending parties and receptions in some exotic location and earning a large salary. Never was this further from the truth as far as Libyan career diplomats are concerned.
For political appointees perhaps the above scenario is much closer to the truth along with fat cat bank accounts and golden parachutes.
Gaddafi had always had a bee in his bonnet believing his diplomats in the 1970s to be from the old elite and against his Green Book theory. This was probably true but these were a group of enterprising Libyans who had chosen not to join the then booming oil industry or the military and instead worked for Libya abroad and at home.
Their salary never came near to that earned by the oil company workers and on average was US$150 a month and abroad reflected the cost of living of the various countries. By enlarge they were liberal in their outlook and reflected a good picture of the Libyan population.
By the time 1979/80 arrived, the Student revolutionary bodies were in full swing and Gaddafi ever one to introduce his own system of government abolished embassies and replaced them with "People's Bureaus".
There were no longer people as ambassadors but rather Secretaries of the Committees with two or three other people selected as members of the Committee.
Of course anyone could become an ambassador it needed no particular qualification apart from being a member of his Student Revolutionary committees because 'everyone is a partner not wage worker.' Thus was ushered in the era of the butcher, baker, candlestick maker becoming ambassadors with the resulting bombings and killings.
These committee members were always rewarded financially or with grants for their children to study abroad and residing abroad for sometimes up to ten or twelve years.
Libya became isolated through Gaddafi's megalomaniac sponsoring of terrorism and a nation of cronyism and corruption became entrenched in the Libyan way of life to many.
Obviously those in the foreign ministry generally opted out of joining the revolutionary committees and continued with their normal diplomatic duties in fact with no prospect of climbing the diplomatic scale to the post of ambassador.
The path had by this time become highly competitive with 4,000-5,000 applications being submitted by those wishing to join the ranks of Libyan diplomats. This job that had by this time become wanted as a means of leaving the country and earning a better salary abroad and as a way of educating one's children in foreign schools as the Libyan education system was now almost defunct.
For those career diplomats from the 1970s this was the career that they had chosen and were good at it as to do their best to promote a face of Libya other than that of Gaddafi, oil and terrorism.
With Gaddafi being welcomed back into the fold in 2004 the once stagnant economy began to boom and the opportunities for corrupt contracts and embezzling funds became rampant. 'You do not work for this company unless you can do something for the company' was the refrain which of course meant that you knew someone in the Gaddafi family who would facilitate whatever problem or signature was needed.
As Gaddafi continued to cling to power he knew that he had to control Libyans like never before and started transferring employees from various ministries into the foreign ministry to achieve two objectives: first, as a means of controlling any dissident diplomats; Second, to prevent Libyans living abroad from spreading dissatisfaction at home.
The numbers of these Libyans who hold dual British/Libyan, US/Libyan passports increased drastically in the latest years.
In the 1970s, all potential diplomats who passed the selection process were required to spend one year at the diplomatic institute and receive a certificate. Then he or she is to be appointed as an attaché and/or third secretary working in the various departments of the foreign ministry before being sent abroad to work in an embassy.
Despite the fact that it was illegal for anyone to be assigned to work abroad without the said certificate from the Diplomatic Institute this was largely ignored as the foreign ministry became flooded by hoards of ill-educated, self serving personnel whose main goal was to make money anyhow and by any way.
As the 17th February 2011 approached most appointed diplomats in embassies, especially at the ambassadorial rank were generally political appointees who would be diehard pro-Gaddafi loyalists. The few remaining career diplomats, however, continued to silently do their best to serve the country, the Libyan people and promote a better image of Libya.
As these political appointees started to see their "Great Leader" lose power and the revolution engulf Libya they jumped the sinking ship by defecting to the National Transitional Council in very high profile defections covered by the world news media.
It turned out to be rather easy for these defectors to change their spots as none seemed to question why these same people had put up with and never acknowledged the abuses against the Libyan people by Gaddafi's regime for the last 42 years until now.
What perhaps is even more alarming is that these Gaddafi political appointees named ambassadors are now being reappointed as ambassadors for the NTC without being held accountable for the millions that they have stolen over the past years.
To add insult to injury the long-serving career diplomats are now being sent home in disgrace and are labeled Gaddafi supporters for the reason that they did not defect.
Those who did not defect they could not do so out of fear that Gaddafi would put their relatives who are not in the already liberated areas in eastern Libyan or in the Western Mountain in harms way. T
hose who did so had their family members arrested and in some cases have disappeared in one of those mass graves which keep resurfacing around Tripoli.
Career diplomats should be apolitical. The values that Libyan diplomats used to adhere to during the dictator's rule need to be reexamined. Many European governments expelled diplomats from Libyan embassies during the revolution and most of them may not be part of the career diplomats group in the Libyan Foreign Ministry.
For example, the Financial Attaché in an embassy is an employee of the Ministry of Finance, a school teacher belongs to the Ministry of Education and a diplomat belongs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ministers come and go but diplomats should stay because they know the nuts and bolts of the job. Sadly, it seems that the same possibly corrupt ambassadors are here to stay despite the victory of the revolution. These also seem not to want their staff to continue working with them because they know the ambassadors' illegal practices.
Some of them even resorted to Gaddafi's revolutionary committees' ploy by using student bodies to throw out career diplomats who are following the law. What has been going on in the Libyan embassy in Jordan is a case in point.
After all the sacrifices that the Libyans have made in order to bring an end to the oppressive regime it is not fair that the same Gaddafi diehard political appointees to embassies continue in their jobs. Everyone must be held accountable to their wrong doing so the lives we lost during the revolution do not go in vain.
New Libya has to demonstrate transparency beyond reasonable doubt and must adhere to rule of law. The declaration of liberation on October 23 in Benghazi was a day of rejoicing but it could well turn into a replica of the old regime with just a new flag, new anthem, no Gaddafi and the same old henchmen in positions of power.
The writer is a Counselor Minister who has worked with the Libyan Foreign Ministry since 1976. He served in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kenya, India and the Philippines. He contributed this article to The Tripoli Post.
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| Name:
Abdulkarim Elasheg |
Date: 11/03/2011 16:47:52 |
Comment:
Not only in Jordan, but also in Rome, Italy |
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| Name:
Shaheena |
Date: 14/11/2011 14:45:42 |
Comment:
An insightful article and a testimonial to those who never played the system but continue being punished by it- Let justice be done but let's not repeat the mistakes made in history-Libya could be the one's ho get it right !!!!! |
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