Libya is trying its hardest to reshape and remould the country which is defined by 42 years of rule by a madman. Gaddafi is no more and staff from this newspaper had the opportunity to see, first hand, what is going on in the new free Libya.

One of the points we had made in our observations was that Libya has no history of political institutions and infrastructure. The courts were puppets to Gaddafi, as was his mercenary army. The hospitals were run by henchmen and there was nothing in the country which was independent or transparent. The Gaddafi family ran it all.

This newspaper had pointed out that Libya might be running the risk of pushing its home citizens to one side. Let us be frank, blunt and honest. Education in Gaddafi’s Libya was not education as we know it. Most of the people who are fit for politics are those exiles who have returned to the country after years of exile. But, and this is the big but, this should not happen at the expense of those people who fought so hard to get rid of Gaddafi, on the ground.

Thankfully, Libya did not make the mistake which was made in Iraq. Civil servants from the old regime were retained, and that brought a modicum of stability to a country where the TNC is still trying to establish good and proper control of the country.

The latest news is that militia controlling Tripoli Airport fired on a convoy carrying the new head of the Libyan military. So far, there are two sides to the story. The militia says it thought it was going to be attacked and the Libyan military is saying that it was an assassination attempt.

The truth will be hard to establish. But, having seen what Libya is like on the ground, the author is of the opinion that it could have been six of one and half a dozen of the other. The author has travelled through Tripoli airport and has seen the great lengths which the militiamen go to in order to be professional in their approach. And this is the grudge which we fear may hamper the process in Libya. MaltaPost has announced that it is once again delivering mail and various other companies have started operations to and in Libya, including Air Malta.

But there is more to be done. The atmosphere in Libya is calm. But when one speaks to Libyans themselves, as well as Maltese who are living and working there, it is clear that there is more to be done in terms of security and stability. And one must say that while they are courteous and professional, the militias will not relinquish their hold on power very easily. Misurata is a different story, it is still run and marshalled by its own people. But Tripoli is a whole different kettle of fish. As we have said, Libya has a long way to go and until it builds up its institutions, such as the courts, the police force and a standing army, then it is going to see more and more power squabbles until things settle down. We are still of the opinion that these people will make it. They deserve to.