President of the Independent Libya Foundation Announces Vision Statement for Libya on the Anniversary of the Libyan Revolution

NEW YORK, Feb. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Statement issued by ILF President Basit Igtet - Published on Feb. 17, 2012.

Libya is a country which was in the past corrupt; its interests monopolized by a few people while the rest were without opportunity or self-esteem. Even from such a starting point people found within them the motivation to achieve a human victory – to win their freedom. We believe the Libyan people, with their experience of this victory and belief in themselves, are Libya's greatest asset.

In studying the current state of business in Libya, we recognize the challenges and difficulties presented by the complete lack of infrastructure. Therefore, we have to evaluate each area of industry and see how we can upgrade it to create feasible models that generate competitive products, according to the needs of the market.  

When we speak about markets we consider two elements:
Local:  (Product and Human Factor)
International: (Quality and Contribution)  

In order to bridge these two elements, we must carefully develop each:

Local: i) Generate quality products that match the needs of the local market and ii) encourage people to develop themselves; personally - with principles and long term vs. short term vision, and professionally - as entrepreneurs and experts.

International: To partner with international entities that are i) committed to providing quality products and services, ii) whose business practices maintain principles of honesty and fairness, and iii) who are interested in long-term relationships and building a productive Libyan society vs. short-term profit at the country's expense.

To achieve this, we need to develop 4 points:

• Productive management systems
• Integrative business models
• Participation and partnerships
• Accountability and transparency

We have therefore decided to implement a strategy to develop a number of Libyan chambers and business councils throughout the world, in countries willing to participate and contribute to the new Libya. The underlying strategy is i) to control the quality of business and products entering Libya, ii) to ensure those entering do so by best meeting the requirements of the market and not through personal relationships (as has been the case in the past and still is in many countries throughout the world,) and iii) to protect the long term interests of Libyan society.

The first chamber we established is the U.S. – Libya Chamber, with the guidance and support of Lionel Johnson (title chamber of commerce…) Through this process we discovered the ILF is founded on similar principles to the US Chamber of Commerce and shares in its mission of "Advancing human progress through an economic, political and social system based on individual freedom, incentive, initiative, opportunity, and responsibility." Therefore we have chosen to create our worldwide chambers based on this same model – one that serves to create healthy business relations based on common human interest.

The Libyan people have been, and must continue to be, a strong, active and productive element in this venture. They must be willing to learn from the international market, whilst also profiting from their own experience, in order to create a future in which they can maximize their potential and compete with the best both within and outside Libya.

We must learn from our past: We saw how the countries and entities who signed contracts with the past Libyan regime did so based solely on short term financial interests. We saw how our country was corrupted and sold off at low prices, how these actions killed the self-esteem of our people and how self-interest and short-term vision have developed in our society as a result. We must remedy this. Through the chamber we will encourage and support people who share in the same principles as the ILF and who care about the future of Libya.

We want to strengthen and hold on to the trust we have developed in ourselves as Libyans. We have written a new chapter in human history, a chapter based on self-respect. Against great odds we have won; we won a medal of honor for humanity and we should wear it proudly - remembering the human lives it cost. At the ILF, we are committed to developing a LIBYAN brand of business; one based in self-respect, honesty and justice. We will ensure our partners in the Chambers of Commerce throughout the world share these same principles and with them we can create a better Libya and a better world.  

Contact:

Richard H Griffiths
Director International Affairs
[email protected]
(917) 463-4231

SOURCE Independent Libya Foundation