To some in Libya, ‘Brother Leader’ Gaddafi still a hero

TRIPOLI — To all outward appearances, this is a city deeply enamored of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi. His portrait hangs from lampposts, adorns shopping centers and sprouts from the gleaming new office blocks rising from the seafront. Sayings from his Green Book, required reading for all schoolchildren, are posted in government buildings, including public restrooms.

And his supporters, draped in Gaddafi green and clutching pictures of their beloved leader, noisily and passionately assert their presence in near round-the-clock displays of devotion. Hurtling through the streets in pickups or gathering in Tripoli’s central Green Square, they bellow the rhythmic chant that encapsulates the omnipotence of Gaddafi’s self-ascribed role: “God, Moammar, Libya: Enough!”

How deep that support runs in a populace that has been governed by fear for decades is impossible to tell. But six days into the allied bombardment of Libyan military targets, it is clear that Gaddafi can count on the fierce loyalties of at least a significant segment of the population in the vast stretches that lie beyond the enclave of rebel-held territory in the east.

“We don’t want anyone except him,” gushed Fatima al-Mishai, 20, who joined the crowds assembled at Gaddafi’s Bab al-Aziziyah compound to offer their services as voluntary human shields against the bombs. “He gave us freedom and everything we need.”

Indeed, the Libyan government has kept average incomes relatively high, while doling out generous social benefits, including health care and education. Even Gaddafi’s opponents, who dare murmur their dissent only out of earshot of regime loyalists, concede that the man who has governed Libya for nearly 42 years does command genuine support.

The Washington Post

Title: To some in Libya, ‘Brother Leader’ Gaddafi still a hero.

Main idea: To all outward appearances, this is a city deeply enamored of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi. His portrait hangs from lampposts, adorns shopping centers and sprouts from the gleaming new office blocks rising from the seafront. Sayings from his Green Book, required reading for all schoolchildren, are posted in government buildings, including public restrooms.

MSI: “We don’t want anyone except him,”.

ING: shopping, gleaming, rising, saying, reading, building, including, clutching, gathering, everything, doling, including.

Referent: This, his, his, his, their, their, they, that, that, that, that, him, their, he, who, their, that, who.

Traducción: 

Para todos los aspectos exteriores, esto es una ciudad enamorada profundamente del líder libio Moammar Gaddafi. Su retrato cuelga de los postes de luz, adorna centros de compras y los brotes de la oficina nueva que destella bloquean el levantamiento del paseo marítimo. Los refranes de su libro verde, lectura requerida para todos los alumnos, se fijan en edificios del gobierno, incluyendo baños públicos.
 Y sus partidarios, cubiertos en Gaddafi verde y que agarran cuadros de su líder querido, afirman ruidosa y apasionadamente su presencia en exhibiciones cercanas alrededor--reloj de la dedicación. A toda velocidad a través de las calles en recolecciones o recolectando en la Plaza Central verde de Trípoli, gritan el rítmico canto que encapsula el omnipotence del papel atribuido por Gaddafi: “Dios, Moammar, Libia: ¡Bastantes! ”
 Cuán profundamente se ejecuta esa ayuda en un populacho que ha sido gobernado por el miedo por décadas es imposible de decir. Pero seis días en el bombardeo aliado de blancos militares libios, está claro que Gaddafi puede contar en las lealtades feroces por lo menos de un segmento significativo de la población en los estiramientos extensos que mienten más allá del enclave del territorio rebelde bajo control en el este.
“No deseamos ninguna persona excepto él,” expresó Fatima al-Mishai, 20, que se unio a la multitud reunida en el al-Aziziyah de Bab de Gaddafi compuesta para ofrecer sus servicios como protectores humanos voluntarios contra las bombas. “Él nos dio la libertad y todo lo que necesitamos. ”
 De hecho, el gobierno libio ha mantenido los ingresos promedios relativamente altos, mientras que reparte generosas prestaciones sociales, incluyendo al atención de la salud y la educación. Incluso los opositores de Gaddafi, quienes se atreven a murmullar su disensión solamente fuera de la distancia de los legitimistas del régimen, conceden que el hombre que ha gobernado Libia por casi 42 años tiene un apoyo genuino.