Thursday, October 13, 2011

UPDATED | And the truth shall soon be known: Mis/Dis-information and Libya

As I was drifting off to sleep last night I was abruptly awoken by a barrage of gunfire and shouts of  'Allah Akbar' coming from all directions. My children, who were all still awake, ran out to see what was happening while my husband who was sitting in the TV room immediately started searching the news channels for information. There were unconfirmed reports that Motasem Kadafy had been captured trying to flee Sirte and had been taken to Benghazi. I got up to watch the news, hoping that they would show video or at the very least some pictures - but there was nothing. Finally I went to bed.

In the morning the reports still had not been confirmed. I watched a bit of the news and searched news websites for information but found no new information. Patience, patience, soon enough the truth will be known! 

Libya is awash in misinformation and disinformation. Today, in my blog's email I received an interesting letter from someone in Malaysia who is searching for the truth in some interesting 'facts' that someone had sent him about the 'charitable' former leader of Libya. After having a good laugh I decided to post his letter in it's entirety on my blog and let my readers answer his questions. Please feel free to comment!

Here's the email:


Hi Khadija
I sighted your blog while searching for some facts about Libyan life. Recently I received an email about Col Gaddafi and am wondering if it is at all true? Could you help verify?


Below is the email :-


The international media, influenced by the Americans, has successfully painted Gaddafi as a hard-core dictator, tyrant or whatever you want to call him. However, the media as usual has also failed to show the kind, giving Gaddafi we never heard of. Gaddafi unlike most dictators has managed to show his humane side, the very side we dream of seeing in other dictators. I consider Libyans lucky to a certain extent and one wonders with the new democratic rule they cry for will it improve or worsen life for them. Yes, Gaddafi has spent millions of Libya`s money on personal ventures but is the average Libyan poor? We know others who take a country and destroy it until you feel like there is no hope of restoring this country… looting some prefer to call it. Did Gaddafi loot Libya in any way?


Now let us get to the unknown facts about the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi:


1. There is no electricity bill in Libya; electricity is free for all its citizens.


2. There is no interest on loans, banks in Libya are state-owned and loans
given to all its citizens at 0% interest by law.


3. Home considered a human right in Libya – Gaddafi vowed that his parents would not get a house until everyone in Libya had a home. Gaddafi’s father has died while him, his wife and his mother are still living in a tent.


4. All newlyweds in Libya receive $60,000 Dinar (US$50,000) by the government to buy their first apartment so to help start up the family.


5. Education and medical treatments are free in Libya. Before Gaddafi only 25% of Libyans are literate. Today the figure is 83%.


6. Should Libyans want to take up farming career, they would receive farming land, a farming house, equipments, seeds and livestock to kick-start their farms – all for free.


7. If Libyans cannot find the education or medical facilities they need in Libya, the government funds them to go abroad for it – not only free but they get US$2,300/mth accommodation and car allowance.


8. In Libyan, if a Libyan buys a car, the government subsidized 50% of the price.


9. The price of petrol in Libya is $0.14 per liter


10. Libya has no external debt and its reserves amount to $150 billion – now frozen globally.


11. If a Libyan is unable to get employment after graduation the state would pay the average salary of the profession as if he or she is employed until employment is found.


12. A portion of Libyan oil sale is, credited directly to the bank accounts of all Libyan citizens.


13. A mother who gave birth to a child receive US$5,000


14. 40 loaves of bread in Libya costs $ 0.15


15. 25% of Libyans have a university degree


16. Gaddafi carried out the world’s largest irrigation project, known as the Great Man-Made River project, to make water readily available throughout the desert country.


Which other dictator has done so much good for his people?


Well, are these so-called facts true, my friend?


BTW, keep up the gud work with ur blog.


Much regards,
SivKay
Kuala Lumpur


*** UPDATE ***


Thanks for all the interesting comments about the misinformation that is circulating about Moamar Kadafi's charitable achievements.... NOT


It seems other bloggers in the Libyan blogosphere have also been inundated with requests to explain these most interesting facts. There is an excellent explanation to all of the above mentioned on Ema's blog: Gadaffi Myths Thanks Ema for putting that together! 


17 comments:

  1. Emmm.....that's a perfect approve to different dimensions theory

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  2. Nice blog, stay blessed, feel free to visit my blog have a new topic up 'Never Be Fooled By What You See'

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  3. Assalam Alaikum!

    I heard about this as well~ Are they true?

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  4. wow....I'm pretty sure Gaddafi himself wrote that e-mail.

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  5. I'll just take number 3 there - Him, his wife and his mother are still living in a tent??? I know he used a tent from time to time, as many people do when camping, and had one for show in Bab Al Aziziya. But I guess this person in Malaysia hasn't seen all the latest pictures of the various beautifully furnished gadaffi mansions. Last I heard, his wife was very well-housed in Algeria/Niger (country changes frequently).

    Maybe he's living NOW in a tent...but my money's on a well-equipped bunker....

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  6. Hi Khadijatri,
    I like your blog so much, but this is my first comment on it.I could not stand not answering your freind questions about "Gaddafi".


    1-2: both are worng, we pay from electricity, water, and phons. And of course there are interest on loans.

    3: "Home considered a human right in Libya" in Libya this means that if you have two houses, you don't heve the right not keep them. One of them will be taken from you!

    4 ,11, 13: Are we still taking about Libya???!!!!

    5:"Education and medical treatments are free in Libya" Education and health care in Libya are "a disaster"!

    6-8: Yes, if that Libyan belongs to Gaddafi's family.

    9, 14: well I am not sure about the prices, but yes food and petrol are sheap in Libya.

    10: WHERE is this money?? thats the real qeustion.

    12: A BIG LIE.

    15,16: So! I don't think that is to much to ask!

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  7. what can I say about this Email exept LOL

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  8. I'm sorry for your people. Something like this is happened in Romania in 1989.

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  9. 9. It must be said that the gas price is roughly accurate.
    14. The price was for 10 loafs of bread (when I was there back in 2007).

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  10. great blog khadija... well regaurding the email it's soooo not true, if your friend can visit us to see for himself, lazy girl explanied these ''facts'' !!

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  11. What a joke! Unfortunately, there are a LOT of people who actually believe and widely repeat this nonsense and adamantly insist it's true, no matter what you tell them.
    Number 6 was actually true-for whatever it was worth. Many people got land, equipment, livestock, etc., and just let it lie there and go to ruin. Others, like my late father-in-law, who knew how to farm and would actually have used the land and equipment he was given, never got a chance because of Qaddafi's Green Book rule that stated "the person who lives in the house, owns it".
    An old lady and her son moved into the house my FIL was given, took everything and proved impossible to evict. She even threw boiling oil on a policeman who came to order her out, lied to the judge about things, etc., etc., etc. Justice, Qaddafi-style. Meh-so glad he's gone.
    Re. #13-what??? I'm still waiting for my thou$and$!

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  12. I will use those lines in a standup comedy , guaranteed to make me the comedian of the year!!

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  13. I got this email from a friend from Zimbabwe.

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  14. here it is the detailed answer:
    http://feb17.info/news/myths-of-the-gaddafi-regime-explained/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

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  15. wow!! I don't know where they manage to the facts from. I got married in Libya, I didnt get a house or any money. My cousin graduated and hasn't got a job, she gets no money. My grandad (now passed away) built up a farm, Gaddafi decided to take some of his land because it was in a convenient place near the road. My uncles wage is 300 dinars a month to take care of his mum and sister as well, he cant afford to get married and build his own house. Electricity is paid for, my neighbours got turned off because she didnt pay the bill.
    Inshallah this will all be changing soon!!
    Thanks for your lovely blog it makes me feel closer to home xx

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  16. All what is written is absolutely wrong and the one who wrote these points doesn't know any thing about Libya and ghadaffi

    ReplyDelete

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