Mohamed Baio, the former Head of the Libyan Media Foundation, called for keeping oil and gas production away from political conflicts in Libya.
He added that the export revenues of oil and gas are the only source of Libya’s national income and the livelihood of the Libyan people. “It is undoubtedly wrong to use it in the Libyan conflict as a means of pressure to achieve factional or regional interests.”
In a post on his Facebook account, Baio said, “it is a treachery and criminality against all Libyans to continue the placement of hard currency revenues and their flows resulting from this natural rentier source, at the disposal of a person, who has no legal jurisdiction. He works by bullying, occupation, violating the law, and rebellion against the legislative authority. The position of Governor of the Central Bank of Libya, Al-Siddiq Al-Kabeer, has been frozen and even nullified for 8 years.” He confirmed that the existence and powers of the bank’s board of directors and friend, Omar Al-Kabeer, are illegal.
“Placing the resources of the public treasury in hard and local currencies at the disposal of a central feudal executive authority is also treachery and injustice. The people have no authority over this, nor the ability of the legislative, judicial and supervisory authorities to monitor, hold accountable and punish them, and stop their corruption, arrogance, tyranny and recklessness. This especially if they are similar to the current illegitimate government.”
He added that someone might say, “the Al-Kabeer will go sooner or later, and this government will end soon, as others have ended. So, is their governor (a governor who does not preserve and a government that does not rule and is not wise) the end of the major problem?” He noted that it is rather the catastrophe that Libya has been experiencing for years, with its three parallel faces existentially, equal in evil and danger, and they are:
- The central monopoly of decision-making and resources,
- The Central Bank’s monopoly on yesterday’s reserves as well as today’s and tomorrow’s revenues.
- The weapon stationed in the capital, monopolised by irregular civil forces, and the sole protector and control of force in these two monopolies.
“The honest answer to this logical question is definitely.. no,” he said. “There are absolutely no guarantees to end this corrupt and failed monopoly. Even if Al-Kabeer and the Al-Dbaiba government go on forever, the radical and definitive treatment of this unjust central reality, which extends for nearly sixty years, will be on following two parallel levels.”
“The first level is the completion of the central state model. Transition to the federal system, based on full local government. Even if the three historical regions of Tripoli, Cyrenaica, Fezzan are established, all cities and regions within these regions must enjoy real local government, in terms of legislation, administration, economy, and services. The hateful central model, centred in Tripoli, is not reproduced in the form of regional capitals, which reproduce the same centralisation and domination over their surroundings. All local legislative, executive, and supervisory authorities must be elected, with the judiciary reorganised, balancing its legal independence, and its service and procedural effectiveness.”
“The second parallel level is setting the national system for the use and investment of common wealth, ending with the previous situation of the Central Bank, the monopoly of income and controlling monetary and financing policies, to turn into a Federal Reserve Bank. This according to specific tasks, serving the state and its people, and contributing to the development of the economy, investment and stability. This is the final shift from absolute state control over the command economy, to a free economy, an economy of fair competition, and individual and collective productive initiative, in all sectors and fields.”
According to Baio, the state must retain the power to issue general legislation, beyond the territorial jurisdiction of local authorities. Sustainable development spending must be regulated, and education, health, and infrastructure are available, and spending on the national army and border and border security must be regulated.
He noted that the fair distribution of the national wealth resources must be ensured, according to a tight system. This system should balance the size of the region, the number of population, as well as living and development priorities. Surpluses of national wealth must be managed and invested for the benefit of future generations. This should occur according to a modern, effective and successful investment system that frees it and saves it from this exploitation and investment, which is currently practiced by the failed and corrupt institution falsely called the Libyan Investment Authority. An appropriate part of the national wealth must also be allocated to areas of extraction, production and export of oil resources, minerals and mines, and to grant distinct legal and economic treatment to border administrative areas, and to new urban and economic gatherings and areas.
“Everything goes to the components of local government, and little remains for the central government, which should not be more than a few Ministries, including Defence, Interior, Foreign Affairs, Justice and Investment, headed by an elected or appointed Prime Minister as determined by the constitution. Its permanent headquarters should be in the city of Sirte, central Libya. It shall, if necessary, have headquarters in the regions, not in competition with, or overlap with, local governments.”
He said, “this is the strategic and sustainable solution, and the real establishment of the modern Libyan national state until this is achieved and must be achieved as quickly as possible, whether through the permanent constitution, or through a fait accompli imposed by the Libyans on the ground, with which they end their tragedy, and finally cut off the way for foreign interference in their conflicts, and restore the sovereignty of their country, drying up and even blocking the sources of financing wars and terrorism, which are financed by corrupt money resulting from the corruption of the authorities, and the corruption and monopoly of the Central Bank.
Until this is achieved, it is required to urgently take the following steps:
- The Parliament’s issuance of the National Wealth Law, in which it sets the general provisions and mechanisms governing the disposal of oil revenues, as well as all stores of wealth and investments. It does this in a manner that achieves justice and balance, ends monopoly and imbalances, and prevents blatant external interference by foreign countries, foremost among them the United States. It must respect the sovereignty of the Libyan people, their right to self-determination and what works for them, and to dispose of their wealth without interference or hegemony.
- The speedy dismissal and accountability of the illegitimate Central Bank of Libya Governor, Al-Siddiq Omar Al-Kabeer, and the current negligent members of the board of directors. The bank’s board of directors must be reconstituted, by agreement between the House of Representatives (HoR) and the High Council of State (HCS). This must occur without waiting for agreement on the rest of the so-called sovereign positions, if the comprehensive agreement is impossible and delayed, and the situation in which the two councils agreed a few months ago to choose the Attorney General, Saddik Al-Sour, should be repeated. Managing the Central Bank is more important and more dangerous than the rest of the positions that can be postponed.
- Redefining, describing and depicting the state’s general budget, resources, allocations and expenditures, so that the centralisation of spending in Chapter One is liberated by referring salary systems and allocations to the regions and municipalities for local disbursement. Achieving balance in Chapter Two – public or administrative expenses, in spending on Ministries and agencies in the centre, regions and municipalities.
- Transforming the third chapter of development into financing for projects with their names, locations and allocations, taking into account the real priorities, and the facilities used by all Libyans. These include roads, water sources and service facilities. Giving a special status to the areas of oil and gas extraction, production and export, and reconsidering the tools for implementing projects financed from the general budget, so that their implementation is entrusted to the national private sector, alone or in partnership with foreigners where necessary.
- Solving and liquidating the devices of theft, corruption and bribery, inherited from the time of abhorrent centralism, and solving the problems arising from its previous and suspended contracts, within what was known as the comprehensive development project, and in the forefront and not only of course, that device stigmatised with everything in the universe of rot, corruption, looting and corruption, and the so-called device of development of administrative centers.
- The general budget must include an emergency item, with an allocation of no less than $2 billion or its equivalent in Libyan dinars. According to the exchange rate that must be reconsidered, to achieve and ensure food, drug, commodity and service security for the Libyan people. This in light of the exceptional circumstances the world is experiencing, and the severe shortage in the sources of commodities, especially food, and the extraordinary rise in their prices.