Qaddafi was quoted on Thursday by the media, including the
BBC, as saying that Bin Laden had been manipulating Libyans who have risen up
against him to take control of large parts of the oil-rich country.
"Qaddafi does not know what he's talking about. He's
blaming Bin Laden when he should look at himself instead and ask why widespread
Libyan protests are tearing the country apart," Dr. Ali Al Enagy, a
professor at the King Saud University (KSU), told Arab News on Thursday night.
He claimed that Qaddafi had not done anything good for his people.
"Libya is a rich country, one of the oil producers in
the region, and yet its people had not benefited because Qaddafi had not done
anything for them. That is because he's not a good leader. He does not have the
qualifications of a good leader," he added.
"Look at Qaddafi's record. He does not have culture and
believes that he's above the Libyan people. He's a mad man and out of touch
with reality.
"Qaddafi acts as if he's the Libyan founder when in
fact he's not. He feels superior to his people, who deserve a much better
leader than him."
Dr. Hezab Sadoun, a professor of mass communications at a
local university, said that Qaddafi was way off the mark with his claims.
"There's no foreigner or foreign force involved in the
turmoil that has engulfed Libya. What stokes the anger of the Libyan people who
have risen in arms against him is top-level corruption," he said.
He added that Qaddafi should look at himself instead of
blaming Osama bin Laden. "He has not done anything for the Libyan people.
The country does not have enough hospitals. When Libyans get sick, they go to
adjoining countries like Jordan for treatment," he said.
He added that Libya does not also have enough schools
despite the fact that it is a rich country. "This is because Qaddafi's
leadership had been reeking of graft and corruption. That's the reason why the
Libyan people want him out of power," said Sadoun, educated at Iowa
University.
Sihaam, a Saudi working in a local establishment, expressed
surprise that the Libyan leader was blaming Bin Laden for the protests that
have engulfed Libya.
"I think Qaddafi is not being objective. If the Libyan
people want him out, that means that they don't like him anymore. We have read
in the newspapers how he had mismanaged his country's affairs. While he and his
family were wallowing in luxury, the Libyan people were not benefiting from the
wealth of the country," he said.
He added that while Qaddafi has announced that he'll die a
martyr, it's only a matter of time before the will of the Libyan people prevails.
"If and when that happens, I can see in the mind's eye
their euphoria and jubilation that we saw when the Egyptians drove their former
president out of office by staging mass protests," he said.
Naser Al-Shehri, deputy chief-editor of Saudi newspaper Al-Bilad,
said: “Libyan President Muammar Qaddafi accused Al-Qaeda and its leader Osama
bin Laden of interfering in the internal policies of his country and trying to
overthrow the leadership.”
He added that his tone had changed that he had played his
last hand after using tribal differences, civil war, immigration issues and
interference from neighbor countries’ as excuses.
“The man had ruled for 42 years and he is stunned and
shocked when people after all this time decided to force him to leave. He feels
it’s his own country, and all the achievements, if there are any, are his
doings, therefore no one should speculate how he will leave,” he said.
“International pressure is cornering him now, which means
the end is near. External interference in the events in Libya was delayed
because the country has a strong partnership with Europe and USA, on economic
levels. It’s a country that is rich with oil, therefore, international powers
might have waited to see what direction the scales would tip before they announced
their involvement.”
Al-Shehri claimed that Qaddafi always played a role of
supported the US in the fight against terrorism, even though he himself
supported terrorism, and he had struck a deal to give away weapons of mass
destruction weapons in return for reassurance of maintaining his leadership.
Dr. Faiz Al-Shehri, professor of security science at Prince
Naif College and a member of the Ministry of Interior national committee for
combating narcotics, said Qaddafi’s strategy was to divide his enemies who were
united against him, whether they were educated, politicians, tribe members or
members of the elite class.
“He has lost his credibility, and using Al-Qaeda as a last
resort to spread fear in the area and create an illusion of threat,” he said.
“The people are seeking their rights and it is his own
policy of ‘letting the people rule’ that turned against him. The people are
ruling. The end is very near for Qaddafi. I believe he has one of three
scenarios, to flee the country, which is not acceptable for someone with his
self indulgence and ego, commit suicide or be killed at the hands of tribes who
already hold grudges against him.”
“It is obvious that Gaddafi lost control over the situation
in Libya, he is even in his last speech using Al-Qaeda to spread fear in the
whole area,” said Turki Al-Sudairi, chief editor of Arriyadh newspaper.
“He is both a psychopath and a dangerous man, and no one can
predict how things will turn out at the end, which is coming closer.”
