While the West continues to stare on in disbelief at the atrocities being committed by Gaddafi and the schizophrenic behaviour of both him and his son, it is only when you listen to Arab speakers’ opinions that you truly begin to realise how far the madness has set in
As Gaddafi laughed and joked in an interview with NBC and the BBC, we looked at him and thought, can he possibly be that mad? As Westerners, we try to rationalise everything that we read, see and hear. We have said that Gaddafi does not care about Western criticism, and now even threats. We say that he just brushes it off, but it does not seem to be the case.
I have already mentioned in a previous column that I had once met Gaddafi. The gist of it was that we were not supposed to ask about Lockerbie, but I did it indirectly. I asked how he felt to be welcomed back into the fold, given his past record.
He knew exactly what I was saying. Let us not forget, Gaddafi is a Sandhurst man and speaks perfectly acceptable English. His eyes blazed as an impetuous rat from Malta, of all places, had the gall to ask such a thing. His interpreter scrambled to translate, and even from the limited understanding that Maltese speakers can glean, I could tell he was mumbling incoherence. The official answer was given and it was so insignificant that I can’t even remember it. But Gaddafi is well and truly mad.
As the Office of the President mulls the stripping of the order of merit he was granted in 2003, it evokes memories of my having witnessed its bestowal. It was not about recognition from another country; it was all about showing his sycophantic followers how tiny Malta next door pandered to him.
I mentioned that I smirked in all this, and now I realise why. It was not the chants and fist pumping from fat-bellied officers and soldiers, who were only there to be rewarded for their loyalty. I now realise that I smirked because I realised that, while Gaddafi is mad, his madness has spread to those around him. The West got the first hint of madness as he laughed at suggestions of uprisings and then broke into English, saying that all his Libyan people loved him and would die for him. But, as I have mentioned, it is only when you listen to what Arab people have to say that you realise that we have another ‘Hitler’ on our hands, in the sense that it is approaching the end and the man has gone completely insane.
Arab speakers have analysed Gaddafi’s speech and said that much of his incoherence and mad statements are lost in translation. It’s like trying to explain a typical Maltese joke to an Englishman in English – it just doesn’t work. The madness continues to spread to his son, Saif al Islam. The man goes on Sky TV, gives an interview, speaks beautifully and denies any uprisings. At the same time he talks utter tripe, and only hours earlier, he was seen distributing arms to supporters and video was taken too.
The other son Saadi, who got a placement with Juventus due to the massive Libyan investment in the club, has only one concern… he has spent his life travelling and argues that a travel ban is a violation of his rights.
The whole family is absolutely bonkers, mad, drunk on decades of power, in denial and, for lack of any better adjective, cuckoo! One doubts that they will ever leave on their own initiative. It is becoming clear that they will fight to the last. It is also very strange to sit back and think that I once spoke, face to face, with this murdering beast. It is also very strange to think that, in a Malta I do not remember, this man was revered on the streets, saluted as a hero and had a direct say in our education. It is also very strange to think that the West allowed this man back into the fold. It is also very strange to think that he has, in an indirect manner, been a direct threat to Malta and he never actually did invade – although he once came very close to doing so.
History is being made on our doorstep. Thank God the visit that was supposed to take place last year and into this year never materialised. We have proven it to ourselves. Even tiny Malta is finally free from pandering to the beast from the South. Not to Libya, to Gaddafi. Now it is time for all those who keep apologising for him, or tell us to mediate rather than judge him, to keep their opinions to themselves and get out of our political structures. Malta is disgusted at Gaddafi and more disgusted that some refuse to condemn him.