Commission dismisses 4 Libyan ministers amid anger

Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zaidan Libya’s High Commission for the Application of Standards of Integrity and Patriotism on Tuesday marked four members of the cabinet as ‘below standards’. The ministers are Ashour Suleiman Shuwail (Minister of the Interior) , Abdulsalam Bashir al-Dweiby (Minister of Higher Education), Ali Mohammed Mihirig (Minister of Electricity) and Muezz Fat-hy al-Khouga (Minister of State for General National Congress Affairs).
The report was referred to the General National Congress and the prime minister, according to Libyan National Congress spokesman Omar Mohammed Humaidan.
This new development is expected to be an embarrassment for the elected prime minister’s cabinet. The prime minister was already criticised for hiring ministers of foreign affairs, international cooperation, religious endowments, defence and petroleum.
The cabinet is set to be sworn in before the General National Congress on Wednesday.
An informed congressional source told Libyan daily al-Qurina al-Jadida that “nine ministers in Ali Zeidan’s cabinet will not be present at the swearing-in ceremony.”
They are ministers of foreign affairs, the interior, congressional affairs, electricity, higher education, social affairs, agriculture and religious endowments.
Humaidan spoke about the recently ratified demonstrations law, saying that it is a question of “organizing rights,” in order to ensure that “one does not encroach on someone else’s right.”
He said legalising the right to demonstrate does not take away that right, which he insisted was always granted by the state.
The law has been passed so that demonstration does not hinder day-to-day public life, he said, adding that Libya has witnessed an “abuse” in the right to demonstrate.
“We requested this law in order to protect property and public institutions,” he said.
Humaidan said that demonstrations will require a permit.
Organisers of a demonstration, he said, must send a request to the police station nearest the location of the proposed event 48 hours before the appointed time.
“The demonstration can be halted within 12 hours if it endangered public property and general feeling,” he said.
“The penalty for disobeying the new law could go as far as a year’s prison sentence or a 6,000 dinar fine. The penalty increases, he said if the demonstrators are armed,” Humaidan said.
He also added that specific locations will be set for demonstrations.
“The swearing-in ceremony would be attended by diplomats. For this reason demonstrating outside the building would reflect badly on the legitimate authority and project the negative side of Libya,” he said on possible demonstrations during the ceremony.
He urged the public prosecutor and other executive bodies to intervene, saying that “demonstrations are a threat to legitimacy.”
Meanwhile, Minister of Interior Ashour Shuwail said the evidence against him by the commission was “meaningless and a conspiracy aimed at stalling the government and hindering the rise of the Libyan state.”
His cabinet colleague, Ali Mihirig, said he was “surprised” at hearing of the commission’s decision regarding his appointment. “I have been opposing Gaddafi’s regime since 1981,” he said, adding that he is unaware of the grounds on which the commission based its decision.
Most demonstrations in Tunisia take place outside the General National Congress in Tripoli.
Demonstrations are also occasionally held outside the cabinet building.
Similar rallies were completely banned under Gaddafi as they were considered a threat to national security.