In the heat of it all, the heat of counting the votes, the heat of victory and concession speeches...we forgot something so important, so crucial to our fight, the reason why we started writing to the whole world through this blog: Lebanon has won! The Syrian influence is out! The Lebanese for the first time have managed to compete amongst each other relying on themselves, not any foreign party. We did it! The north has bid farewell to the days of the Syrian tutelage; it's over. The north has sealed the victory for all the Lebanese.
And the FPMers did not lose, but they have won. They have won because all what they have fought for has been accomplished. The Syrian influence is to an end. The Parliament is Lebanese par excellence, with all its diversity, with all its contradictions. We are a country of contradictions, we are. And I love my country, I love it, I love it.
We have forgotten this point, this important point, in the midst of cheering for this list or that candidate, in the midst of bickering and accusing, in the midst of disappointment for some.
Let us not forget what this was all about. Let us not fall into the quagmire and the darkness of the past. Let us not hate and accuse one another. We, the poeple who have suffered the death and destruction. We the poeple who have smelled blood, who have been subdued. We the poeple who have a story with fear, with silence, with exile, with the imprisonment of the soul, the mind, and the word. We the poeple who have been scattered in the diaspora, who have our hearts attached to our beloved country. That country that never ceases to capture you until death.
We have all won! Congratulations! The elections have ended. We have just opened a new page in our history...I pray to God that every word written on this new page would be Lebanese, honest and true to the country.
Tomorrow will never cease to be an adventure; Lebanon is an adventure, an experiment in governance, in politics, in war and peace. Tomorrow: Samir Geagea, Hizbullah, the Palestinian question, Shebaa Farms, the Lebanese-Syrian diplomatic relations, the national debt, Paris III/Beirut I, the electoral law, the election of a Parliament speaker...Tomorrow: Can be summed up with the word "Challenges". If we proved today that we are able to govern an election campaign free of any foreign tutelage after years of occupation and war, free of firing a shot against our brother, let us prove it once more then in the face of resolving the challenges ahead of our country.
The Cedar and the Olive are chanting a hymn,
An earth hymn, a song of the homeland:
O Lebanon, you are the mother, the family,
O Lebanon, the cradle of my freedom.
Doha
June 19, 2005
"Nobody knows how many rebellions, besides political rebellions, ferment in the masses of life which people earth."
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9 comments:
Re: "It was an alliance to gain power, not an alliance that articulated a vision. What was the vision of the Franjieh-Aoun-Karami alliance? Can someone tell me? Granted that many on the Sha'ib list as individuals or groups had a vision, but as a list the vision was missing. People questioned the rhetoric."
1) It's unfortunate that you still misunderstand Aoun. Aoun's program has been publicly made available on the Tayyar.org web site in 3 languages. It is the only program/manifesto of any other parties. Hariri's doesn't have one.
2) The pro-Syrian anti-Syrian rethoric is so "passe" now. Think of it. A few months ago only, Jumblatt, Hariri, Franjieh, Karame were all co-operators in the Syrian-led regime. It just happens that Franjieh and Karame were the last 2 men standing, weeks away after the others, but in reality- the only anti-Syrian for 15 years is Aoun, period.
Now let's see how Hariri will govern if he wants to, and if he's got the guts to disarm Hezbollah as he said he would.
Great blog Doha! I really learned a lot these past weeks from you and all the commentators. I look forward to the next phase and the insights of all who contribute to this blog.
I can never understand the Aounists. The Free Patriotic Movement is not democratic (since Aoun has been at its head for the past 15 years). Aoun nominated his son-in-law. Talking about democracy and nepotism, hah. He allied with Franjieh, Murr and Skaff who are all but transparent and national. Today, Aoun said that his mission was to break the opposition, then he said the country should be based on an "army spirit."
On top of all, FPM claims to be the only one with an electoral platform. Did anyone read that platform, it's merely headlines and has no plan. And it is not true they are the only ones with a platform, many parties put forward a platform, on top of them was the Democratic Left Movement, whose candidate defeated the Aounist in Tripoli.
Jubran Basil was saying that Tripoli's Muslims were deciding the Christian MPs of Batrun and Zghorta. SO WHAT??? I thought the FPM was secular and it didn't mind representing every Lebanese, whether Christian or Lebanese.
Anyway, let's see what will FPM and its 14 MP bloc do in parliament. Let's see the platform that they will put through.
Cassius
who said FM do not have a program?
FPM program is just bullet points mostly taken from martyr Hariri program.
if you want to see FM program go to www.rafikhariri.com and read the section (in his words).
Also download the book (al hokom wa al masolia) it is available in three languages, and it was published in 1998.
you will see that the so called bullet points of FPM are the same as the program of FM
I guess most Traboulsis are in a poetic mood,
THEY BOUGHT YOU OFF TOO?? SHAME ON YOU DOHA ;)
Totally with you on this Doha.
A lot of what March 14 promised it has delivered! Who in January would've thought this was possible ?!
The point is now to look forward and build upon. So... shall we dance?
I think when politicians say "protecting the resistance", they mean protecting it from itself!
Re: "I thought the FPM was secular and it didn't mind representing every Lebanese, whether Christian or Lebanese."
I think we have a major problem here. We all agree that the law is unfair. From my perspective, it is not fair that Boutros Harb be labled a deputy of Batroun if the people of Batroun voted for Bassil and the Tripolitans voted for Harb. However, would Bassil be happy with the results if the Tripolitans were Christians?? Probably - and that does NOT make sense.
My point is - and you can call me naive - but we need to reach a point where, if we discuss the 2000 law, we simply argue that the Tripolitans do not identify with the concerns of the Batrounis (because they are different cities, needs, bla bla) and therefore should not be voting for their deputies, rather than be sectarian about it and complain how the Christians now are voiceless and powerless.
A lot has changed, we have come a long way, but we still have a lot to do...
Mabrouk Libnain
Regarding the issue of having a program or not, the FM didn't have a program going into the elections.
Saad Hariri: "He told a news conference that he would issue next week a comprehensive program based on the late billionaire tycoon's ideas, reports Reuters news agency." From: http://www.masnet.org/news.asp?id=2541
The reference to the web site "In his words" is not a program, but series of thoughts. If it was a program, Saad would have adopted it during the campaign. We are not comparing the same thing. FM was behind the 8-ball on that one. And even if they have a program, I have my doubts on whether they can erradicate corruption which was standard under Rafik Hariri. I am not saying he was corrupt (God rest his soul), but he was lax about it around him.
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