Posts in Libya's blogosphere this week covered everything from poverty and unemployment to differing interpretations of what happened on September 1st, 1969.
By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 20/01/10
This week, Libyan bloggers tackled sensitive issues ranging from poverty to corruption, while comparing how government supporters and the opposition differ on the meaning of key historical events.
According to blogger Mustafa Raedh, the Libyan state "is not taking action to cover the minimum standard of living for all citizens. We hear about a million poor people, or even more, and the rise of the unemployment rate to 30%."
"Instead of adopting a policy of gradual and comprehensive treatment of unemployment with an integrated system that would try to find a solution for joblessness and put an end to poverty and prepare programs of awareness and rehabilitation so that workers can find a place in the labor market, the state tends to shrug off its duties by reducing the number of beneficiaries of social welfare and denying it to other categories and calling it an unemployment benefit!" adds the blogger. "This means that it has become a gift and a favor, rather than a guaranteed right and a duty on the part of the state."
Raedh believes that the attention of the Libyan state seems to be focused on getting rid of employees, but without finding alternatives. "The people who were in the past shepherded into retirement included educational sector employees, which created a crisis ... and caused social and psychological problems for those who were laid off," writes the blogger.
He adds that in Libya, "which has oil revenues and a small population, the issue of unemployment doesn't constitute a big problem or an obstacle in the way of providing the means and methods, as compared to the big countries whose populations are 60 or 70 million. Yet, we share a certain feature with those countries: the presence of poverty. This is despite our state's wealth, and therefore, the saying 'richest country and poorest people' is now true about us."
Meanwhile, blogger Abdel-Salam stresses the need for a neutral and objective comparison between King Senousi's regime and the present government. "Today, we differ with the supporters of Col. Kadhafi's regime in evaluating the event of September 1st, 1969 and its consequences for tangible, practical reality in terms of negative and positive points. Which would prevail over the other, the negative or the positive?
"What have we lost and what have we gained after that event?" muses Abdel-Salam. "They consider what happened to be a 'historical, unprecedented revolution that changed the face of history, not just in Libya but the Arab world, and even the entire world! According to their claims and beliefs, the revolution has led to prosperity, happiness and progress for Libya, and to the establishment of people's authority, people's rule, a freeing of the will and realization of happiness, etc."
"Meanwhile, we, the opposition, differ with them in the evaluation of this huge and serious political event," adds the blogger.
In his turn, blogger Sergewa reviews the report of the People's Oversight and Inspection Committee, a government agency, which he says "recorded 1,120 cases in 2009, including cases that were referred last year, totaling 451, and 669 cases recorded in 2008." According to Sergewa, "charges were made against 1,498 defendants. Financial irregularities topped the list with 135 cases for 784 defendants referred to disciplinary boards."
Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/blog/2010/01/20/feature-03.
By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 20/01/10
This week, Libyan bloggers tackled sensitive issues ranging from poverty to corruption, while comparing how government supporters and the opposition differ on the meaning of key historical events.
According to blogger Mustafa Raedh, the Libyan state "is not taking action to cover the minimum standard of living for all citizens. We hear about a million poor people, or even more, and the rise of the unemployment rate to 30%."
"Instead of adopting a policy of gradual and comprehensive treatment of unemployment with an integrated system that would try to find a solution for joblessness and put an end to poverty and prepare programs of awareness and rehabilitation so that workers can find a place in the labor market, the state tends to shrug off its duties by reducing the number of beneficiaries of social welfare and denying it to other categories and calling it an unemployment benefit!" adds the blogger. "This means that it has become a gift and a favor, rather than a guaranteed right and a duty on the part of the state."
Raedh believes that the attention of the Libyan state seems to be focused on getting rid of employees, but without finding alternatives. "The people who were in the past shepherded into retirement included educational sector employees, which created a crisis ... and caused social and psychological problems for those who were laid off," writes the blogger.
He adds that in Libya, "which has oil revenues and a small population, the issue of unemployment doesn't constitute a big problem or an obstacle in the way of providing the means and methods, as compared to the big countries whose populations are 60 or 70 million. Yet, we share a certain feature with those countries: the presence of poverty. This is despite our state's wealth, and therefore, the saying 'richest country and poorest people' is now true about us."
Meanwhile, blogger Abdel-Salam stresses the need for a neutral and objective comparison between King Senousi's regime and the present government. "Today, we differ with the supporters of Col. Kadhafi's regime in evaluating the event of September 1st, 1969 and its consequences for tangible, practical reality in terms of negative and positive points. Which would prevail over the other, the negative or the positive?
"What have we lost and what have we gained after that event?" muses Abdel-Salam. "They consider what happened to be a 'historical, unprecedented revolution that changed the face of history, not just in Libya but the Arab world, and even the entire world! According to their claims and beliefs, the revolution has led to prosperity, happiness and progress for Libya, and to the establishment of people's authority, people's rule, a freeing of the will and realization of happiness, etc."
"Meanwhile, we, the opposition, differ with them in the evaluation of this huge and serious political event," adds the blogger.
In his turn, blogger Sergewa reviews the report of the People's Oversight and Inspection Committee, a government agency, which he says "recorded 1,120 cases in 2009, including cases that were referred last year, totaling 451, and 669 cases recorded in 2008." According to Sergewa, "charges were made against 1,498 defendants. Financial irregularities topped the list with 135 cases for 784 defendants referred to disciplinary boards."
Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/blog/2010/01/20/feature-03.
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