By Ghassan Karam,
Special to Ya Libnan
A funny thing has
happened on the way to Doha. The majority team was not only totally
emasculated but lost all traces of common sense and rationality.
They even had the temerity to try and spin their shameful
performance to make it look as an achievement for the state that they
have lost.
Lebanon, in its present form, is over sixty years old. But over this
period of over six decades the closest that this country came to
fulfilling its potential of democracy and personal freedom was the
short period during 2005 when the grass roots movement of The Cedar
Revolution erupted to shake the traditional bankrupt system of
governance to its roots. But as soon as the “revolution” was born the
traditional politicians conspired to co-opt it, and they did. They made
sure that it was a still birth.
But when the only alternative is the choice between an “opposition”
lead by a group inspired by and pays homage to Iranian Mullahs, allied
with a megalomaniac ex general and some other have been politicians
whose allegiance to the state was dubious at best then offering support
to those that have made promises when they took over the extemporaneous
peoples movement was the lesser of two evils. Things have not changed
much over the past two and a half years. The March 14 ruling group that
claimed to be the voice of the Cedar Revolution presented itself as the
only sane alternative to the undemocratic opposition especially due to
the fact that no other voice emerged.
There were plenty of signs that March 14 was not capable of ruling
effectively. They were, and still are, totally preoccupied by the
international tribunal to the exclusion of everything else. They failed
to understand that a state needs to be governed efficiently and
effectively in all areas, political, social and economic. March 14
sought an electoral alliance with Hezbollah, invited them to join the
cabinet and helped support Nabih Beri as the Speaker of the Chamber of
Deputies. Each of these decisions came back to haunt them but one of
the most frustrating decisions by the March 14 politicians was to
accept at the Qatar talks the formulation of the new cabinet . They
have accepted to offer the opposition the veto power since the new
cabinet is to have 16 members from the majority, 3 members that
represent the president elect and 11 members that represent the
opposition. So what is so wrong about this? The simple fact is that
Hassan Nassrallah, the Secretary General of Hezbollah, made his first
demand for a veto power for the opposition around 19 months ago; he
made his demand on October 30, 2006. If the idea was bad then, it still
is bad now. Actually it is even worse because of all what has
transpired over the past 19 months to show as clearly as possible that
Hezbollah has its own agenda and that is not guided by the welfare of
the Lebanese state.
The
Doha agreement offered the opposition all what they asked for 19 months
ago and gave the majority zilch, nada, nothing in return. This raw deal
was arrived at as a result of the success of the recent attack on and
occupation of West Beirut and the International Airport. If March 14
believed that this was a raw deal 19 months ago then why is it
acceptable all of a sudden? On the other hand if it is a good deal now
then why was it refused 19 months ago, 19 months of turmoil, war,
deficits and stagnation?
March 14 leadership is attempting to spin the Doha agreement as
being good for the country. They must think that we are imbeciles. They
have betrayed our trust, they have sold the county short and above all
they have made their incompetence so visible that no amount of spin
will be able to put an acceptable face on this rotten deal. If Lebanon
is to be resuscitated then it is incumbent on us to “throw the rascals
out” so to speak in the next elections, if Hezbollah and friends will
allow the nascent democratic game to proceed. In the final analysis
“people get the government that they deserve”. Well this is our lot if
we are not to stand up for what is right and decent, what is democratic
and just, what is modern and secular. We can redeem ourselves only once
we realize that” we have seen the enemy and it is us”, therefore no
change will come about until we change ourselves, each and every single
one of us.
Source: Yalibnan
