Rebuilding Libya

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor PATRICK PANGILINAN Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

The international community owes a salute to two world leaders who did not only extend long-distance support to a troubled nation, but staked their own relationships with other countries in the way they helped the Libyan people attain their decades-long dream of freedom from a despotic rule.

While most of the world stood by, supporting in spirit, but only with that, countries who are in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, actually put their money where their mouth is. Acknowledging the righteousness of the cause of the suffering people of Libya, languishing under the iron rule of Moammar Gadhafi, his family and his henchmen, the NATO did not hesitate to provide aid to the protestors through air and ground support that eventually led to the flight of the strongman, first from the capital, then to parts unknown, while sending off his family to Algeria for asylum.

Yesterday, two of the NATO leaders actually made their physical presence felt by the grateful people of Libya. Great Britain’ Prime Minister David Cameron and France’s Nicolas Sarkozy, who had been the most open about their sympathies for the Libyan rebels, flew to Libya, met with the new leaders in Tripoli, and even visited the city of Benghazi, said to be the last stronghold of Gadhafi.

They not only renewed their pledges of continued help to the budding government, they also assured them of financial assistance in their early days.

We who have gone through a similar experience as the Libyan people, should understand what they can expect to go through. We trudged on through a rough road, hindered by the untrustworthiness of some of the officials we trusted with our future. But we have survived, and now can wish that the Libyans, who sacrificed more and shed a lot of blood to get where they are now, will not squander their blessings and fare better.*