The Good Done is Forgotten: Curtain Call

By Mahrukh Malik

The prosperity of Libya under the Gaddafi regime is something that the media has done its utmost to overshadow, so as to avoid depicting Gaddafi in any positive light

The US government’s tradition of making a travesty of all those who pose a hazard to its vested interests (in over 70 countries at present) has never failed in flouting absolutely everything that human life stands for. Watching almost every channel televising the graphic images and videos showing the final moments of the capture and gruesome death of Colonel Gaddafi sent goosebumps down my spine. The publicly broadcast execution of Saddam Hussein on the day of Eid was another such incident that I feel is an illustration of how the value and sanctity of a human life holds no meaning for them. Making a public mockery out of the death of any man, criminal or not, is in my opinion at least, inexcusable beyond reason. They know no boundaries and feel no remorse — their robotic insensitivities can be compared to the very drones they use — all to protect their own interests.

I am writing because what I see in the world today is an evident lack of compassion, a blatant disregard of the judicial process to be allowed to take its due course in ensuring peace and justice, immoral and unethical journalistic practices, as with the footage of his death, and either a degree of ignorance amongst the masses or their inability to make sense of the information they are presented with. Being told who to hate without being given adequate reason why, makes us accomplices in a conflict bigger than ourselves. The so-called ‘democracy’ that the US and NATO forces advocate and attempt to set up after successfully interfering in almost every country in the world, is not complete without its fourth estate — media freedom, which requires not only an uninterrupted flow of unbiased information but freedom from state intervention that frequently occurs for the pursuance and imposition of a partisan agenda.

The media is an all-powerful entity with enormous ability to manipulate the thoughts and opinions of the people. The problem with this power is that most people believe everything they hear or read at face value without realising how their abilities to make informed judgements about the world they live in are readily made in the absence of logical and objective reasoning. No doubt people, and especially the youth today, are more aware and proactive in rallying for their causes, but few of them challenge the credibility of the information they receive, and that is why the role of the media as a significant guarantor of democracy in its truest form, cannot be undermined. Naturally, watching and reading everywhere that Gaddafi was an eccentric dictator who deserved the fate he met, does secure the affirmation of this image in the minds of the people.

Knowledge without the power to reason makes for an uninformed citizenry alien to the reasons behind the very cause that they struggle to achieve. Ignorance can make or break a nation. John E Richardson has rightly observed that journalism has social effects and that through public discourse, it can shape or reinforce public beliefs and attitudes of people vis-à-vis their role and place in a society. Therefore, unbiased reportage is essential for upholding democratic values in a society of individuals who should be presented with both the sides of a story. Which side they choose is then their right and a decision they are entitled to make for themselves.

Unfortunately that is exactly what has not transpired in Libya. It was following the revolution in Egypt that overthrew the Hosni Mubarak government that there emerged a window of opportunity for sparking a similar uprising in Libya to overthrow Gaddafi. I guess it is difficult to stop a pendulum that has been given a push to swing violently and is unstoppable once in motion. The past eight-month civil war that killed scores, was led by the National Transition Council (NTC) sponsored by the US and NATO under the false pretence of setting up a ‘western-style democracy’. As to the why of it, it should help to bear in mind his endeavours for the Palestinians and an anti-Israeli stance, his role in empowering Pakistan to become a nuclear armed state, his policies aimed at uniting the Arab countries, and his intractable opposition to bend before the imperialistic designs of the west, all sufficient to earn the abhorrence of the US and the west.

They say that being outside a picture helps in one’s understanding of what we see. What I have so far gathered from the western and global news media is that Gaddafi was an oppressor, a criminal, somehow responsible for the Lockerbie bombing, being involved in the buying and supply of arms, leading an extravagant lifestyle, shabby sense of dressing, eccentricity and so forth -- the usual markers of any dictator. However, having been exposed to only one side of the story, not many people bother with the how, the why and the ground realities -- the obvious is overlooked, and the good done is forgotten. Why I question the reasons behind the Libyans’ detestation of this leader, is because nowhere have I heard or read so far what this ‘monster’ dictator did for his country. The prosperity of Libya under the Gaddafi regime is something that the media has done its utmost to overshadow, so as to avoid depicting Gaddafi in any positive light. With policies like free education, zero unemployment, grants and scholarships for studies abroad, free and best healthcare in all of Africa, a one-time start up capital for any new business venture, a fixed sum of money for every newly-wed couple to buy accommodation, unbilled electricity, yearly growth in GDP, and not to forget Libya’s riches in oil and gas wealth, it sounds to me like a model economy. Therefore, to say or to ridicule Gaddafi to the extent of utterly vilifying his personal character, full of idiosyncrasies of course, and discrediting the economic successes of his regime, is unmerited and for these services for the Libyan people, he deserves at least some respect. However, the message to receive is loud and clear: there is no room to stand opposed to western imperialism, and where the morality and independence of the western media is concerned, the curtains have certainly been drawn!

The writer is a staff member.

Source: The Daily Times, Lahore

URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-media/the-good-done-forgotten-curtain/d/5766