The People's Council

This is something I've actually experience for the first time in a country I've lived in and which I find quite interesting. Libya is currently at a total standstill every day between 4pm and 8pm. This has been going for
the past 3 weeks and is likely to go on till the end of the year. All shops are closed and barely any cars are on the street..... What is happening?

Muammar Al Qadhafi has come up with a so called 'Green Book' which is actually divided into three parts....

Part 1 - The Solution of the Problem of Democracy

Part 2 - The Solution of the Economic Problem

Part 3 - The Social Basis of the Thrid Universal Theory

The one I am currently interested in is Part 1 'The Authority of the People'. Qadhafi specifically states that:

Popular Conferences are the only means to achieve popular democracy. Any system of government contrary to this method, the method of Popular Conferences, is undemocratic. All the prevailing systems of government in the world today will remain undemocratic, unless they adopt this method.

Although the above statement may create a few sparks, his reasoning, though too idealistic brings a smile on to your face making you thing how people actually come up with these things.......

THE GREEN BOOK guides the masses to an unprecedented practical system of direct democracy. No two intelligent people can dispute the fact that direct democracy is the ideal, but until now no practical method for its implementation has been devised. The Third Universal Theory , however, now provides us with a practical approach to direct democracy. The problem of democracy in the world will finally be solved. All that is left before the masses now is the struggle to eliminate all prevailing forms of dictatorial governments, be they parliament, sect, tribe, class, one-party system, two-party system or multi-party system, which falsely
call themselves democracies.

Isn't this ironic??

There can be no democracy without Popular Conferences and Committees everywhere.

So this is what he does......

First, the people are divided into Basic Popular Conferences. Each Basic Popular Conference chooses its secretariat. The secretariats of all Popular Conferences together form Non-Basic Popular Conferences. Subsequently, the masses of the Basic Popular Conferences select administrative People's Committees to replace government administration. All public institutions are run by People's Committees which will be accountable to the Basic Popular Conferences which dictate the policy and supervise its execution. Thus, both the administration and the supervision become the people's and the outdated definition of democracy - democracy is the supervision of the government by the people - becomes obsolete. It will be replaced by the true definition: Democracy is the supervision of the people by the people.

Thus, the problem of the instrument of government is naturally solved, and all dictatorial instruments disappear. The people become the instrument of government, and the dilemma of democracy in the
world is conclusively solved.

Its as simple as ABC!!!! So why does the world still suffer from dictatorships?

So now, all the people should attend this little meetings held all around the cities. They are divided into 'Shaabia' or Municipalities all across Libya and discuss how the country should be run, what laws should be implemented etc etc. Supposedly everyone should stop working at 2pm and start getting ready for the meeting. If any shop is found open it is fined. However very few people attend such meetings, and others use the excuse to go home and sleep or leave work early.

Ironically enough the Green Book also says the following:

After the successful establishment of the age of the republics and the beginning of the era of the masses, it is
unthinkable that democracy should mean the electing of only a few representatives to act on behalf of great masses. This is an obsolete structure. Authority must be in the hands of all of the people.

The most tyrannical dictatorships the world has known have existed under the aegis of parliaments.

Hmmm.....I don't know if I would 100% agree with this.....

The party is a contemporary form of dictatorship. It is the modern instrument of dictatorial government. The party is the rule of a part over the whole. As a party is not an individual, it creates a superficial democracy by establishing assemblies, committees, and propaganda through its members. The party is not a democratic instrument because it is composed only of those people who have common interests, a common perception or a shared culture; or those who belong to the same region or share the same belief.

He has a point.....but then if the majority of the people agree with this party doesn't it make it a democracy??

The Green Book goes on and on in this way speaking about the ideal, what is happening in today's so called 'democracies', what is wrong with them and what in theory is the right way, but in practice doesn't work...... I guess doesn't work in Libya either....... will read and study it in more detail and see what else he has to say!!! Beleive me... in this Green Book which sits in the Green Library next to Green Square.... Mr Moammar Al Qatdafi has an answer to everything.