As al-Qaddafi regime began to lose grip over the population in Benghazi, al-Baydha and other parts of Libya, the government television aired a taped talk by the oldest son of Qaddafi. Saif al-Islam had been propped as a reformer. At one point he went public with his opposition and the father closed down his satellite station. Now Saif al-Islam removes this mask and shows his true colors. The scorn with which he spoke to his people is unbelievable. Apparently the dictator and his son believe they are Libya; without them there will be no country and no life. The talk represents how the ruling family members see the people they rule and the world dynamics in which they live.
Saif al-Islam suddenly appears on television and begins delivering an impromptu address. Saif al-Islam has no official position in the government. But he is obviously banking on what is known by now: that there is a ruling family running the country. He is the apparent heir since he is the oldest son and it is assumed that everyone in the country will not even raise a question about whether Saif represents his father or the government.
Saif al-Islam basically exibited an understanding of the world that is more in line with his father's thinking than the PR Saif al-Islam has adopted since he entered public life in 2005. All of a sudden, the reformer has realized that Libya is a tribal society that could have never come together without oil in the hands of the strongman of Libya.
Here's a slightly edited transcription of the doom and gloom he threw at the Libyans:
"We were expecting these events.
There is outside elements with supporters in the country who organized through facebook, using the incident against the Italian Consulate on February 17 as a trigger to begin something similar to what happened in Tunisia and Egypt. We did arrest people to stave off the movement in Libya but now there is tumult and separatist movements threatening Libyan territorial integrity.
The world media carry rumors and exaggerate the number of killed in the unrest.
Three groups are behind the demonstrations:
1)political and professional groups with legitimate demands;
2)Islamic groups, especially in al-Baydha; they have taken over military bases and took weapons and declared an Islamic emirate;
3)common people who are jobless, drugged, mercenaries of rich people, onlookers, curious young people;
4) groups that want to split the country; and
5) baltagiah (thugs) who destroyed prisons and are now spreading chaos.
Therefore there are different trends in the country wanting to bring down the regime.
Arab media is exploiting the failure of the Libyan media to report on the unrest.
There are dangers lurking: Libya may split because it is made of tribes and clans and therefore a civil war is possible. Libya has oil in the middle and south and that is the only thing that holds Libya together. Oil will burn and people will turn against each other because they will not agree on dividing the oil wealth. How could the country stay together when 75% of the population lives in the west and it does not have oil.
Can you manage oil? There are foreign investments worth $200 billion. All this is gone now. How are you going to spend on hospitals and other services? There are 500,000 residential units ready to be handed over to people. They will not be handed over.
Every one now has arms.
Hospitals will not work and ready homes will be destroyed and oil will be burned.
But there is another way: Tomorrow we can launch a historic initiative by convening a popular conference to institute civilized laws and a constitution that will be based on local rule and a central government with limited authority over state sovereignty matters.
Otherwise, we will all settle our differences through arms. Then foreign powers will come back because they will not let oil burn and will not allow Islamic emirates.
Do not listen to al-Jazeera or the Arabs. They are just fooling you. And now they have their mercenaries spreading chaos in Libya. The Egyptians and Tunisians want to share your oil.
Don't listen to those (Libyans) living in the West enjoying citizenship and social security and urging you to go the the military camps.
The army is loyal to Qaddafi and now tens of thousands of people are out supporting Qaddafi. The army will end the tumult and restore order. We will fight to the last bullet."
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