Dear Mister PM of the Lebanese Republic

The open letter Joseph El Khoury addressed via Arabdemocracy to the Secretary General of Hizbullah Hassan Nasrallah generated many constructive comments regardless of whether they agree or not with the writer. Below a reply to the letter showing how strong the arguments in both sides can be. But the most important is that these two letters show how deep the Lebanese fracture is and how large is the space separating the two Lebanese parallels that might not intersect in infinity.

Bachir Habib
Arabdemocracy

By Marwan Madi

It appears that you and I have much in common. To the best of my knowledge we are both Lebanese, we both love our country, and we also fans of poetry, good literature, and Fairuz. I am not sure who your favorite writers are Mister Prime Minister, but I am particularly drawn to Khalil Gibran and Voltaire – two great writers in my humble opinion - whose search for more light and the truth in their writings brought comfort to me in times of trouble and discomfort.

In these times of uncertainty in the homeland, as you might expect, I find myself searching for answers yet again in the writings of these two great gentlemen. In his essays on the meaning of law, Gibran warns against those man-made laws that are a reflection of our own likeness which can be washed off by angry waters much like the sands of the seas. Voltaire, on the other hand, believes we are guilty of the good we have not done.

Mister Prime Minister, since you took office three years ago, your government has made many promises that have yet to bear fruit.

Mister Prime Minister, where are we on the new electoral law?
Mister Prime Minister, where are we on installing a government of national unity? You claim that your party holds the majority of views in our land but you must stand corrected sir as the nation is clearly divided, though recent reports indicate the opposition is gaining ground.
Mister Prime Minister, you have promised relief to the people affected by the war in 2006, but there are reports that prove your government’s contribution has been nil at best?
Mister Prime Minister, Hezbollah is no longer the only armed militia in Lebanon , are you aware? Mister Prime Minister, we are repeating the mistakes of the past and wishing for better solutions.
Mister Prime Minister, our economy is soar, our people are leaving, and we are divided on sectarian grounds again.
Mister Prime Minister, what has your government achieved over the past three years?
Mister Prime Minister, you claim your resignation is an open ticket for Syria and Iran to meddle in Lebanese Affairs, but aren’t your current policies a reflection of Saudi Arabia ’s agenda in the Middle East and more particularly in Lebanon ?
Mister Prime Minister, shouldn’t we work toward policies that reflect our interests first?
Mister Prime Minister, for the past nine years I convinced myself that my experience and education in the United States of America, a country I proudly call home away from home, will only help, upon my return to Lebanon, to better prepare me to contribute to the building of a viable nation; a republic founded on equality, fraternity, and truth; a nation where men and women hold equal rights and duties; a nation free from religion but not against it; a nation that cares about its environment and the well being of its people, all its people; a nation that works with as opposed to for other nations; a nation that for once in its history will decide its own faith.

Mister Prime Minister, does your government have a vision? If so, is this vision inclusive of all the citizens of Lebanon ?

Mister Prime Minister, I am proud to be the son of Lebanon, the land that produced Gibran, Fairuz, Hiram Abiff, and many other great minds, but I am disappointed with the way my government has conducted business since 2005. Your government, sir, called for the establishment of an accountable system to fairly evaluate the performance of public officials.

Your government continues to blame the oppositions for the current situation in Lebanon, however; with governance comes responsibility.

It is high time Mister Prime Minister for a government of national unity, a government that reflects the interests of Lebanon first and foremost without disrupting our regional and global relationships. Only then would the turmoil in Lebanon ends. Only then, Mister Prime Minister, the many bright Lebanese both locally and abroad would regain trust in the homeland and contribute to the construction of a sound and viable republic.

A Concerned Lebanese Citizen

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The Orange Seduction

Marwan Madi

“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.”

Abraham Lincoln

A wise man once said opportunities in life only come once. Two years ago more than one million Lebanese went into the streets of Beirut to demonstrate against the Syrian military presence in Lebanon and against their government, following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Two years ago the land of milk and honey saw growing momentum for a Cedar Revolution that unified the nation to the cause of true democracy and freedom from foreign intervention. In 1963 Martin Luther King had a dream, two years ago, I was living mine.
That was two years ago.
As the last Syrian soldier departed Lebanon and the media hype began to wind down, the realities on the ground began to unfold. The truth is that the new democracy we have been offered is not in touch with the aspirations of all Lebanese and oddly resembles the one we had before. The truth is that we are governed by tribal leaders that have used and abused our Constitution and judiciary system in the name of special interests and political sustainability and are supported by a press that has independently chosen to pledge allegiance to one party over the other. The truth is that Lebanon continues to be a collection of mini-states. The truth is we are as corrupt today as we were before 2005. The inconvenient truth, to quote Al Gore, is that Lebanon’s Cedar revolution is hollow at best.

The failed promises of the March 14 alliance and the poor performance of the Saniora government on various issues including national security, political, economic, and social reforms, and environmental stewardship has led to the emergence of new political players that have upset Lebanon’ traditional political deal making and resulted in the defeat of some of the country’s usual suspects. And had the new electoral law been implemented in 2005, the country would have witnessed a new wave of political faces and ideals. Alas, the March 14 alliance and their representatives in parliament chose to preserve the same electoral law they earlier claimed was fabricated and imposed on the Lebanese by the Syrian regime to infringe upon our liberties.

The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) is perhaps the best example of a new untraditional player in the Lebanese political scene judging from the fierce political battles that occurred in many regions of Mount Lebanon and the North where this party was running. Led by the not so charismatic Michel Aoun, a former prime minister that launched two unsuccessful wars with disastrous impact on the country in general and the Christian community in particular, that same community he claims to widely represent today, the FPM has managed to make a strong come back to the country’s political scene as did many other parties but with this difference, the FPM is offering a political agenda that addresses the concerns of the citizens of Lebanon. The FPM has managed to bring to the table new representation and new faces that talk to the need for new and better representation in government, more accountability and zero tolerance for corruption, more jobs, a better healthcare system, and an independent judiciary system. The FPM has given their constituency an array of hope, the hope that regular people truly have a say in the direction of their country and how it should be ruled. The FPM was successful in bringing to light the need to stand to and abide by all the laws, rules, and regulations of this republic as well as respect its constitution. Through its actions, the FPM helped to bring to light a government that refuses to be held accountable for its poor performance and in many cases unlawful and unethical conduct since holding power in 2005; a government that claims to represent all Lebanese but continues to disregard the concerns of many.

A decade and a half in Paris appears to have helped Mr. Aoun, with the support of a professional team, to work toward creating a party with a mission, founded on specific goals and objectives. It appears that against all odds, the message of the FPM resonated well in the ears of the many that voted for him in the past election and would probably vote for him again in the next round.

I do not share the same moral or religious values of Mr. Aoun and I will admit that I am concerned at times with his Napoleon-like attitude, but I would be foolish not to recognize the FPM as a credible and serious player in Lebanese politics.

When the good people of Lebanon demanded change, they didn’t mean more of the same; the FPM was there to listen but most importantly deliver.

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