This is the same so-called larger-than-life “King of Kings” who was pulled out of a drain-pipe on Thursday in his home-town of Sirte in inglorious circumstances. Shortly thereafter, he was shot dead by citizens-turned-rebels he had once dismissed as “rats”.
Without a constitution, Gaddafi ran Libya like a monarchy and when the uprising began in February, he thought he could easily crush the revolt. How mistaken he was.
The dictator’s ignominious demise, which was made possible by Nato’s blistering aerial bombardment, is a telling reminder that a tragic end awaits dictators no matter how ruthless they try to crush threats to their rule.
There are many examples that come to mind. Former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein was pulled out of a foxhole in 2003 near Tikrit, his birthplace.
His public execution bore similarities with the way Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was killed by a firing squad on December 25 1989. He had been given the freedom of the city of Harare in 1983 at the height of his power.
The lessons to be drawn from tragic events are that the days of tyranny are over and that leaders can only derive legitimacy from those they lead. Without that they risk being kicked out of office protesting their innocence and their naked bodies, like Mussolini’s in 1945, being dragged around the streets like dead animals, whenever citizens decide enough is enough.
To avoid such humiliating scenes of murder by baying mobs as in the case of Gaddafi, whose blood-splattered pictures were shared across the globe last week, visionary leaders need to foster principles of tolerance, peace, justice and democracy. All these are the necessary ingredients for good governance. Besides, they need to know they can’t remain in power forever.
It is only that way that they can preserve their legacy and lead happy lives after relinquishing power. Any attempt to circumvent the democratic path will lead to one thing: the tragic ending witnessed in Sirte on Thursday.
