Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Geagea's speech rocks!

I didn't watch or read all of it, but I did watch the parts that were broadcast by Future TV and LBC. I saw a man who was vibrant, passionate and articulate. I sensed the presence of an individual who commands respect and admiration from all onlookers. Most importantly, I saw individuals who were genuinely ecstatic when around him.

My generation barely missed the civil war. Prior to the speech, Geagea was a somewhat scary mystery to me. Today, after a long and bleak stretch of political uncertainty and compromise, I've finally been injected with a shot of hope. Geagea is out. The Christian community is witnessing a political revival that is familiar to me only through words written in historical texts. A more vibrant balance is finally returning to Lebanon. And the prospect of a culturally, economically and politically vibrant Lebanon is as high as it has ever been.

I know wheeling and dealing won't end. Neither will corruption or political feuding. I also know that a tough period of adjustment lies ahead of us. Lebanon is treacherous, and it exists in a treacherous region. Despite that, I am looking forward to what lies ahead. Something deep inside tells me that things can only get better....

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am also optimistic. As long as we can limit outside interference we can solve our problems over time.

Mustapha said...

Hey Raja,

I felt similarly optimistic when i saw Geagea talk, let's all hope for a better future.

So "Ashlee" is a fan eih? ;)

Anonymous said...

Raja, Saint Patrick is admirable. To some, Haifa Wehbe may be admirable. Please re-think your choice of words.

hummbumm, i may have disagreed with your points of view in the past, but I couldnt agree with you more now.

The release of jeajo was a political necessity. Let's be happy with that, and ONLY that. Raja, you "admire" the man? Wow...

How about we read up a little on our modern Lebanese history, and not strictly from an academic point of view. A crime is a crime is a crime is a crime. True, he is not the only one at fault, but that doesnt make him "admiribal" either!

-F

Raja said...

F,

good point with regards to admiration. However, the man had charisma, and he spoke with conviction and passion - especially when he brought up the issues of reconciliation and forgetting the past (e.g. "the war had its logic, which does not apply today.")

I will refrain myself from reading the history books for now - even though I am very aware of the atrocities that all sides partook in during the war years.

We all need hope, f. Therefore, I will judge the man based on his speech and his actions from this point forward. I will always remember what I know of his past, but I will not judge him based on that knowledge.

Anonymous said...

Raja, I completely agree that we need hope. And my hope is for a country in which we hold our ex-militia men who tore our families apart under more intense scrutiny. It wasnt hard for him to give a speech of reconciliation after he was set free...it is the logical (and politically savvy) thing to do. So unlike you, I think words (especially those of politicians) are cheap, and actions speak much louder than words. I only have his past actions to judge him by, and I am not ready to invite him to my family BBQ yet...

-F

Anonymous said...

after all, words are cheap. It is easy to stand up and say things about what he can do, but please do notice that he did not seem apologetic for what he has done (not saying that other politicians have done that either) and that he specifically said that the LF members were the ones who suffered over the years. As talal salman said, there is a different memory for every taef. It is time that we acknowledge that our current leaders (geagea included) are not our saviors. Geagea's speech rocks? Things will only get better? What about the incident with the Franjiehs, the demonstrations in front of the ain el hilweh camp? This is the 50's playing itself all over again. We can't ignore that. We must never forget what happened. And that means giving every one his due respect, and nothing more.

Anonymous said...

PS: you can watch the entire speech on the lebanese forces website.

Raja said...

I'm not ready to invite Geagea to my BBQ either. But geagea has a large constituency. We cannot discount that. In fact, if we do decide to ignore Geagea, we ultimately marginalize his constituency. It is time that Post-Taef Lebanon and the marginalized Christian political elite reconcile with each other. Lebanon without its Christian half (ignoring the realities of demographics) is simply not Lebanon. I will stick by my assertions about his great speech, but I am also waiting for actions from Geagea.

I'd also like to add that words are not as cheap as they may seem. Geagea, just like Jumblatt and Saad, is perceived to be a leader. Once these leaders adopt certain lines, their followers accordingly adopt similar ones. Future TV has continualy broadcast messages of national reconciliation. Geagea has started his new political career with a similar tone, which makes me happy. Time will tell whether or not he is sincere. Time will also tell whether these assertions of reconciliation from all parties are just that, or whether they will be manifested through action.

From a standpoint of Justice, Geagea should still be in jail - along with all the other warlords and their leutenants. But we all know that this world is not just, and that "justice" is, in almost every circumstance, applied exclusively on the weak. Therefore, venturing into a debate on justice would not necessarilly do anyone any good, since all sides could potentially claim legitimate injustices committed by the others' leaders and even followers.

Élan Vital said...

Let’s not rush to judge Geagea just yet. I agree with raja in regards to the speech. The man just got out of jail for god’s sake. The trouble with us Lebanese is we hold on to the past vigorously and only view others through the tired old “traditional” lenses. Henceforth, our responsibility is to hold all those who wish to represent us accountable for their deeds. Lebanon isn’t Lebanon without all its communities and thank god for that. Circumstance have brought us to this stage and what really matters now is how the Shiite community leaders will react in the context of a free independent Lebanon. They are the majority and no will deny them that, but how will they embrace the new Lebanon is the key. The ball is in their court and I don’t doubt they will choose what is best for Lebanon even if it requires them to take the streets.

Btw, all are welcome at my BBQ. Especially Strida ;)

Anonymous said...

No the real problem in Lebanon is that we are programmed to accept feudal lords as our leaders. I am a Christian and I do NOT look at ja3ja3 as my personal saviour. Once again, I understand that his release was a political necessity, which will probably have long-term positive effects (i.e. a stronger christian - muslim coalition) followed shortly by a Aon marginalization. However, I still can spot a criminal when I see one, and as such, I choose not to be disrespectful to the families of those who were killed by him and his militia. I can be hopeful that his release will accelerate the recovery of Lebanon, but I will not romanticize his sudden burst of moral statesmanship. I reserve my admiration for men who dont have blood on their hands --- the likes of Nassib Lahoud, Butrous Harb, and Najib Mikati.

-F

Anonymous said...

This isn't really about disregarding the main leaders. I might be mistaken, but I don't think any of the above posts said: Ignore Geagea. Marginalize their supporters.

However, the past is not to be forgoten. And by saying that, I am not looking through the traditional lens, as was suggested above. It is the desire to see people (who might potentially act as our saviors - I admit, it is still to early to decide that they won't) have some sense of remorse. Aoun did not have this when interviewed on BBC. Geagea did not have it. Jumblatt did not have this in past interviews (there are other people, but you get the point). There is this lack of accountability that fascinates me - national reconciliation is great, is needed, and is the right path forwards, but it does not mean erasing the past. It means understanding the other ... and it is seen that we still have a long way to go as a nation when people in the above comments still stress that the ball is in the shiite's court. And everyone else is just waiting? None of the other leaders is battling other groups? They have all accepted this platform of reconciliation, all except the shiites?

Soon, the SLA will be accepted back on the terms of national reconciliation (since Sfeir is working towards that), and after that, where will we be? Back to square one. The arms that were seized from the Mourabitoun are worrisome, but they aren't the only group that have weapons (not referring to hezbollah here).The only way to really reconcile is to get rid of the feudalistic mentality we have . . . and that needs to much time. What will happen in between? Time will tell.

Hassan said...

A sentence repeated with idiotic joy in the past few days was "He has not changed!". Ma tghayyar!

momo,
there no such thing as an "the only true patriot", what's next? "batal al7arb wassalam" or "abou el-tala2e3"? i think the region has had enough one-man shows to last us a lifetime.

Hassan said...

momo
I've read your post, but I'm concerned with the sainthood that FPM supporters bestow on Aoun.

Even in more religiously oriented cases like Hezbollah, we have seen the popular base stand against the decision of their leader by voting for people like Najah Wakim.

I like FPM's platform, or at least the fact that it exists. I agree that we should put politics aside. But we first need to be more transparent and achieve some kind of reconciliation.