LIBYA:Libya celebrates three decades of leader Col Muammar Gadafy's unique system of direct democracy today with no sign that modernising reforms, being mooted for the economy, will extend to the political realm.
Critics say the north African country's Jamahiriyah or "state of the masses", the only government most Libyans have known, is a fig leaf for authoritarian rule and has kept the country poor.
Admirers say the system of town hall meetings, in which political parties are banned, guarantees ordinary people a direct say in ruling themselves and ensures political stability.
With Col Gadafy's undimmed support, the system may continue with its basic elements intact for many years, Libyans say.
Their leader has little time for democracy in his own back yard although he is happy to see it flourish elsewhere. He announced this week that Western-style democracy was not appropriate for Africa.
"All people must manage their country according to the cultural and social environment," he said in a speech in the town of Sebha, 600km (375 miles) south of Tripoli. "The peoples of Africa live in tribes and every tribe has a leader, so the system of elections and political parties suits Europe and America more than it does Africa."
Other observers are less sanguine about the results of Col Gadafy's 30-year rule. The economy is creaking and has long been propped up by receipts from oil and gas exports. Col Gadafy urges Libyans to try their hand at private enterprise.
"Libyans by nature and mood are not inclined to challenge Gadafy's power," said Saad Djebbar, a London-based Algerian lawyer who is an expert on Libya.
"What they are seeking is ways to end this extreme bureaucracy, inefficiency and corruption - things that Gadafy has himself acknowledged."
Col Gadafy seized power in a coup in 1969 and in 1977 he proclaimed Jamahiriyah popular rule to try to create the perfect society in line with the teachings of his Green Book, which combines aspects of socialism, Islam and pan-Arabism. He abolished big private enterprises and forbade Libyans to employ one another, explaining it was exploitative.
Local community meetings known as Basic People's Congresses (BPC), surveyed by revolutionary committees composed of youthful Green Book enthusiasts, send up their decisions to a national tier of officials via a pyramid of committees and congresses.
Col Gadafy is adamant this structure has proved its political worth, but on the economy, he has been a pragmatist for years. "Some call it popular socialism, others call it popular capitalism: It does not matter, the important thing is that wealth is shared out between people," he said in 2004.
Officials say the country of about five million has blossomed under Jamahiriyah. Libya ranks a respectable 64 out of 177 in the UN human development index and life expectancy in 2003 was 74. Reformers say the egalitarianism espoused in the 1970s led to waste, shortages and graft. - ( Reuters)