As we roll over into 2012, perhaps today is a perfect opportunity to reflect back on a year that has been a challenge for many and for some, a perfect year. In Fiji, the 1st of January 2012 falls on a Sunday so as I sit here writing this article, I can hear the choir singing away at the church and a hint of smoke in the air as families prepare their Sunday lunch and also celebrate the new year. The weather is just as it would be in Fiji around December and January – hot but with a light breeze that makes it a perfect day for a lazy lunch or a day at the beach.

From a global perspective, the world got to witness events that changed our futures in many ways. Bin Laden got blown away and the uprisings in the Middle East heralded a new era in the way the Arab world managed its political affairs. As a new generation of youths emerged, it was clear that they wanted a change that would see a more democratic style of governance and a more transparent one. The downfall of Mubarak was perhaps the first ominous sign of further demands for change. As the world watched in amazement, the power of the people became apparent although it was firmly resisted during the early days and many lost their lives for a cause they believed would change their country’s destiny and improve the lives of the ordinary citizen. Finally, the government imploded and Mubarak was forced to flee the country he had governed for over a decade. His actions during his days in power were seen as those of a man who had committed atrocities against his own people and he was hunted down and brought back to Egypt to stand trial. The military took over control of Egypt and has been firmly holding on since the uprising. It would not end there and the cue was taken up next in Syria and Libya with Libya becoming a battleground for democracy. I followed the Libyan uprising closely and the footage I saw showed a country that went from a peaceful (outwardly) one to a wasteland as one man stupidly clung to power and a belief that his people still loved him. Gaddafi, dressed in his typical clothing and surrounded by people who also shared his misguided beliefs decried that the US and the rest of the world had a hand in seeking his removal. He was not wrong. He was wrong about how the world was doing it though as he screamed on public television that the US was sneaking into the houses of every citizen during the night and injecting all the youths’ with drugs and other cocktails. But the need to remove a dictator was apparent and the ensuing battle which resulted in the death of hundreds of citizens was considered mere collateral in the quest to secure his position. That was not to last and finally after weeks of battle which also saw the UN becoming involved in the hunt and the subsequent demolition of nearly all of Libya’s capital, Gaddafi was caught hiding in a sewer, pulled out, paraded in the public then shot by someone who has remained anonymous since. Although there have been many claimants to the killing of Gaddafi, there is always an air of speculation as to who had done it because the shot was fired suddenly while the crowd was surging around him. Nonetheless, the death of Gaddafi will be seen both as a blessing and a curse to the people of Libya as they will now have to work out who will take over the effective running of the government, the country and how the people of Libya can once again return to a normal way of life. Given that Libya is a country with rich oil reserves, the people in power will need to prove to the citizens that they will not become corrupted over time with the idea of money and instead help build a nation that will become self sustaining and a place all Libyan’s can call home. (more…)

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