When was the last time that a death of one man affected the day-to-day lives of ordinary people — globally?
I am not referring to Steve Jobs of Apple fame. It couldn’t be him. Not everyone on this planet has an iPhone, iPad or an iPod; nor could everyone afford a Mac notebook, either. I am talking of Muammar Gaddafi, the latest whipping boy of the Western World and of course no doubt of his people.
Didn’t you notice that once the death of Gaddafi was made known to the world instantly, without any fanfare, the price of oil went down by at least five cents. If you are driving to work everyday you felt the ease in your pocket and had the urge to the press on the gas pedal harder. Five cents is a minute amount but the decrease in price creates a psychological effect on people.
Looking at the signs on gas stations, all over the GTA, changing from $1.28 to $1.23, lifts a load that burdens the common man. The signs will not stay to show the lower prices for long. Even before the lower prices of gas could start trickle down to the prices of goods, especially food, the price of oil will go up again, most often without any rhyme or reason. It would all depends on who control the gas pumps and the sources.
It would also depend on which despot will emerge from the oil fields of the desserts and how the West which owns the companies that pump out the oil would be friends with. For when was the last time that Muammar Gaddafi was a pariah to the West, later declared friend, then foe again — then killed worst than a dog. I share what someone said regarding this turn of events: next time, be careful who you are shaking hands with.
The death of Gaddafi translates to more oil to flow to the countries that are dependent on it, which is almost all countries in the world. This reprieve in the price of this commodity is temporary. It is more of a celebratory reaction to Gaddafi’s death, who no doubt was an oppressive and cruel despot. But who pulled the trigger that killed him?
Let me share with you the following, from Reuters:
LONDON (Reuters) – Muammar Gaddafi’s apparent death from wounds received during the fall of Sirte means a long and complex trial that could have divided Libya and embarrassed Western governments and oil firms will be avoided.
A senior National Transitional Council (TNC) military official said the former Libyan leader died after capture having earlier been injured in a NATO airstrike on a convoy fleeing the town. Earlier reports and rumors of his capture had sparked celebrations across Libya and helped oil prices lower.
Had he been taken alive, there would have been potentially acrimonious debate over whether he should be tried in Libya or extradited to the International Criminal Court, which issued a warrant for his arrest along with his oldest son and spy chief earlier this year.
Any trial might have given the flamboyant, often idiosyncratic Gaddafi a podium from which to harang both Libya’s new rulers and Western powers, as well as potentially try to embarrass them on issues they would rather forget. As Libya was nudged back from international isolation in the last decade, international oil companies signed deals worth billions.
But worse still for the transitional government and NATO, analysts say, would have been for Gaddafi to have remained at large, perhaps simply disappearing into the Sahara to form new militias and destabilize Libya and its neighbors.
“It is hugely symbolically important,” Alan Fraser, Middle East analyst for risk consultancy AKE, said of the killing.
“It helps the NTC move on. If Gaddafi has been killed instead of captured, that means they will also avoid a long drawn out trial that could have been very divisive and revealed awkward secrets.”
And there you have it.
On a happy note, the just concluded “OctoBEERfest: Act One Pakwan” produced by Bahaghari of Chito Collantes and his team, held at Aristokrat (the name will be changed soon), on October 22 was a slambang! The place was full packed from start to finish with vibrant and very interesting people in attendance!
Congratulations, and we need more of the same; inexpensive, different, and suffer fun!
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