What the Libyan people want is simple: a democratic political system free from corruption

The Libyan Democratic Party would like to extend its sincere thanks to the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and to the German Federal Republic for organizing the Berlin Economic Conference on 4 October 2021, and to seize this opportunity to affirm that the Libyan people are determined to achieve a transition within Libya to a modern democratic state that contributes strongly to the good of humanity.

The Libyan people want to achieve democracy in their country, as democracy is a natural right that cannot be waived. Libya suffered greatly for 42 years during the military dictatorship of Gaddafi, and a subsequent 10 years of chaos and uncertainty. Libya has paid a high price in blood and treasure, but Libya will not be able to realise its dream of democracy without the international community’s assistance.

Hence, the Democratic Party of Libya proposes that the United States of America present the Marshall Plan to Libya, similar to the one presented to Germany after World War II. This plan will be financed from the assets of the Libyan state, which are currently frozen. Libya does not suffer from lack of funds, but from concentration of wealth and sadly it’s seepage to the wrong and sometimes dangerous hands.

Libya now needs a modern constitution similar to what Germany obtained after the war, taking into account the Libyan peculiarities. In order to achieve this goal, we need the United Nations’ expertise to help us accomplish our goal.

In our modern age, smartphones have transformed most Libyans and Arabs – especially the younger population – into global citizens, who desire freedom and democracy. It is worth mentioning here that about 70% of Libyans are below the age of 30. We don’t see them as a powder cake that is about to explode but a demography bounce which should be augmented into our economy; this younger social segment is dynamic and resourceful in nature, acting as the ideal catalyst in transforming and diversifying our national economy. “God Willing”

The Democratic Party believes in the old Arab proverb that says:

Give the bread to the baker even if he eats half of it.

Thus, we call upon the Libyan government not to reinvent the wheel, but instead to hire German know-how to produce a master plan of long-term development in Libya, including but not limited to building smart cities with clean energy. Success begins with good planning.

That is why our Democratic Party demands that Libya ratifies the New York Convention so that confidence returns to the market.

The Democratic Party denounces what has been said about Libya, including describing Libya as a “filthy rich country”, by the German official who presided over the closing session. This description was diplomatically unacceptable, but he later apologized. It would have been better for him to say: Libya is a very wealthy country, and it should use its wealth to serve its people.

Libya is a country that does not accept the existence of corruption in its organs, and it is not, as the same official pointed out during this conference, the necessity of “constructing corruption” in order to win contracts. We have zero tolerance for corruption in the new Libya.

Finally, we call upon the German government to lead the international community in changing the prevailing colonial stereotype that sees the Arab world as a source of raw materials and a market to dump their manufactured products, nothing more, nothing less. The time has come, after the outbreak of the Arab Spring revolutions, for the Arab world to be seen as a mutual partner and not as a spoil.

Libya is a promising emerging market whose income reaches 100 million dollars per day, with no national debts. The Democratic Party is working alongside the German companies to lead and effect the reconstruction of Libya.

Mr Ahmed Shebani appeals directly to the Libyan government to give priority to hire services and imports for German products and to boycott anything Chinese, because China continues to support dictatorial regimes around the world.