Presidential candidate Suleiman al-Bayoudi said via his Facebook page that a new era is being inaugurated in the areas of influence of the House of Representatives and the Libyan government in the south and east, where efforts are being made to enhance security and stability through development, reconstruction, and construction. He stressed that the results speak for themselves and that the General Command is the “shield and sword” that made this era possible.
Al-Bayoudi said: “A new era is being inaugurated in the areas of influence of the House of Representatives and the Libyan government, in the south and east of the country, where there is a relentless movement aimed at enhancing security and stability through development, reconstruction, and construction. Job opportunities and competition are increasing through the Development Fund and the National Development Agency, and through this redoubled effort, all reasons for a return to chaos and futility are being eliminated. All this is happening without slogans and noise; rather, the results speak for themselves, and only the spiteful and biased would deny them. Most importantly, these achievements could not have seen the light of day if they did not have a shield and a sword, which is the General Command that imposes security and stability and has made the new era possible.”
He added: “In contrast, despite the flashy slogans, the west of the country is drowning in chaos and militias, and services are collapsing daily. Although one of the most prominent slogans raised is the preservation of the values and principles of February, in reality, it contradicts what is happening on the ground: the repression and persecution of opponents and dissidents, throwing them into prisons, pursuing, and intimidating them. Thus, what remained of February has evaporated at the hands of its enemies from the time of its revolutionary outbreak; instead, oppression and plunder are practiced in its name.”
He continued: “None of us is paying attention to the latent danger that we thought had ended or disappeared with the liberation of Libya from terrorism and its eradication. However, the reality is terrifying, as a circulating video clip shows a public takfiri speech, reminiscent of Statement 19—the first declaration to excommunicate the state in a live press conference, a precedent set in Libya. The clip reveals ticking time bombs living within society, which (perhaps) possess enough political and security cover to emerge publicly against the state and the law without any accountability or oversight, to declare in the west of the country that there is only one available model for implementation: dividing society into two camps, the camp of paradise and the camp of hellfire, in a historical extension of the first division of Libyan society in September 2011. This group, lying in wait for Libyans, would not have broken its silence and dissimulation had it not been certain of its safety and that its opponents are closer to imprisonment and being dragged through the streets under a tacitly approved cover, ready to unleash them to wreak havoc and abuse Libyans, and return them to the square of chaos and death whenever the opportunity arises.”
According to editorial follow-up, this warning is connected to a video clip by an individual named Mohammed al-Jarrah, in which he turned a discussion about a legal measure issued by the Central Bank of Libya concerning the protection of funds, anti-money laundering, and the governance of donations into an incendiary, religious-themed speech. This approach incites against banking supervision measures, justifies disobedience to the law, and is based on takfiri classifications that divide society and undermine the foundations of citizenship and the rule of law. Protecting donations and submitting to financial oversight is a legal and moral duty, and any exploitation of religion to obstruct laws should be confronted through investigation, justice, and institutional oversight, not through pulpits of incitement.