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55.4%ANMag Issue 23 Personal Maintenance
Lebanese Presidential Non-Elections
By Mohamad Sobh, Staff Writer
Beirut, Lebanon − This little brain output was written and edited on November 10, 2007, two days before the due date for the Lebanese presidential elections; at this very moment though, the deadline has long passed, and it must have been around three weeks since the elections, or shall I say, non-elections. Not to come out sounding pessimistic, but it seems logical to say that if it were to happen, it would have happened a long time ago, or else the Lebanese parliament is the world’s largest procrastinating body!
Only in Lebanon
There is currently a prevailing view which says that the Lebanese elections will be held, while there is another prevailing notion which says that there will not be a president. Now you might say, “Come again?” Yes, indeed; there should logically be only one prevailing view, which is that of the majority coalition, as in all countries. But no! God forbid we be like other countries! Our system, ladies and gentlemen, gives the minority the Speaker of the House, the President of the country, and a third of the government. All in good faith, mind you! We really do not want to step on anyone’s toes now, do we? Only in Lebanon, ladies and gentlemen, do we allow for occupation of private and public property; only in Lebanon, my friends, do we see democracy implemented in such a crooked manner. Only in Lebanon do we have more teachers on government salaries than students registered in public schools, or do we have a Railway Authority when the last train to issue smoke from its chamber stopped moving around 20 years ago.
Ramona Prodi won by the merest of margins (0.1%) in parliament (where seats total 630) while having a one seat advantage over the opposing party in the Senate (he won 158-156). The guy created a government fully out of his own coalition, with the president of the country also being a politician in favor of Prodi’s alliance. Hence, only in Lebanon, my friends, do we observe a democratically elected minority trying to oust a democratically-elected majority, through means considered a far cry from being democratic.
Health of a Nation
What none of the masses seem to understand is that it is healthy and compulsory for a democratic system to host an opposing parliamentary bloc within its folds. This opposing body should be present in order to monitor the activities of the government, and scrutinize every move made by it. The opposition has a duty to the masses that elected it to keep the government in check. Thus what has been robotically re-emphasized in Lebanon throughout the past year (the calls to create a national union government) has simply been a call for structured and uncensored thievery, an appeal that will allow those calling for it to engulf national resources and funds, leaving tidbits for its hardworking citizens, those whose money is being cunningly manipulated to serve the greedy needs of the elder council, though sadly age has by no means increased their (the elder council’s) reserves of wisdom, but has rather wetted their appetite for more gluttony.
I may paint a bleak prospect, but what is the worst case scenario for most countries is the customary scenario in Lebanon. If we were to exist in an alternate universe where things always go well, then things would still be screwed up in our beloved land, again not because I am a pessimist but because of the cyclicality of history, which has proven, time and time again, the ineptitude of Lebanese “leaders” to govern themselves equitably.
We hear about a strategic maneuver called “Divide and Conquer”, a term most popular within U.S. military and intelligence circles, and which, for the most part, has worked well in propagating U.S. interests in the world as a whole. It seems to me that the Lebanese have already achieved the first half of the equation, where they are divided within themselves; thus, I would think it is safe to say that the two “skirmishing” parties are de facto serving U.S. interests, in contrast to what they both vehemently deny. We are now divided, ripe and ready for a new “conqueror” to bravely step in and take the reins.
What Should Not Have Happened
God has granted us the gift of mind; hence, it is the least show of thanks that we make use of it. The anticipated assembly in parliament to elect our Superman has been postponed two, let us make that three (the meeting on December 12, 2007, is evidently going to be postponed too) times. A rational man will understand that if there was meant to be a person elected, it would have been done a long time ago. What should not have happened is the arrival of the three European foreign ministers to try and reconcile the Lebanese politicians currently in diaspora. Indeed we, Lebanese, are incredibly cute and cuddly, but that does not mean we should be pampered and looked after every single living second. It is rather saddening to see parliamentary bloc leaders scampering to Paris to meet, away from prying eyes. Aren’t the Lebanese grounds large enough to hold the weight of both their bodies combined? What should not have happened is the arrival of Sarkozy's chief of staff Claude Gueant to try and bring together points of view. It is the Lebanese, within their own borders who should be trying to reconcile. Soon the world will bore of us, and what happened in the past will again come to haunt us.
Syria obviously has the power to throw obstacles in the majority’s path, but it is fast running out of tricks, since Prime Minister Seniora is prominently still there, and with the call of a national unity government falling on deaf ears. Sure, it can prevent its allies in Lebanon from entering parliament, but with the way things are going, the 50% + 1 vote is going to be the decider in the end, with the threats of two governments being mere propaganda.
End Result
If history and this article do not converge, then I will say that I will eat my words concerning the first part, where I said that we will not have a president by the end of Emile Lahoud’s term (November 24, 2007). Nevertheless, I stand by what I said about the Lebanese sovereignty part, where we will not achieve true and lasting autonomy until we enter the democratic machine, until we can understand criticism as is, and not as treason, and finally, until the Lebanese flag is the beacon that guides our actions.
I still believe in rational and logical human nature; thus, I would dare to forecast that one of the conflicting teams will soon see light, and start to exhibit some sort of sense. Thus, if the majority go through with electing a president all by themselves, the minority will accept, but by demanding a well-sized slice of the coming government, again making the masses that follow them forget that they (the minority) had demanded a nationally-accepted president, as they made the masses forget the persistently monotonous call for a national unity government. Thus, all will be well and democracy will prevail in the end. Maybe the majority will agree to a consensus president. Alas it is not that simple, and we are in for some interesting times soon, so until then, I will sit under that olive tree, and watch from afar, as people’s minds are manipulated, deals are made under the table, and the political elites remain everlasting.