Kadhafi: Ministries abolished, oil revenues to be distributed directly to Libyans

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Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi has ordered the abolishment of most of the government ministries and handing over their powers to the people. "For years, Libyans have been unhappy with the workings of their country’s ministries which have been transformed into a labyrinthine bureaucracy in which corruption and maladministration reign," Kadhafi told Libya’s parliament late on Sunday.

"Apart from the main departments of defence, internal security and foreign affairs and those responsible for strategic projects like the Great Man-Made River and airport and road construction," state ministries will be "abolished" the Libyan leader said, according to AFP. The 37-billion-dollar a year budget allocated to the ministries should instead "be shared among the people so that they can manage their affairs themselves," Kadhafi told the session of the General People’s Congress in the coastal city of Sirte.

According to him, the cabinet is not needed as it had failed to manage the the country's hugel oil earnings. He stressed big projects were behind schedule and so ordinary people should themselves devise a new way of sharing out oil revenues. "All citizens have the right to benefit from the oil funds. They should take the money and do whatever they want with it," he said, according to Reuters.

"Projects in several sectors are pending. This is a proof that the committees have failed. It's a failure. The administration has failed. The committees have failed in everything. They could not even train good artists and singers." "These committees will be replaced spontaneously by real committees to be created everywhere by citizens. Citizens will get part of the oil revenue directly. They don't need intermediaries," he said.