You know you have a problem when the people of the country you live in are making fun of you in songs with lyrics like:
“Lebanon’s leaders have left, our joy is great. We can live in peace, our country is paradise once more,….We’re tired of listening to their speeches, we’ve put them all on a boat and sent them on a cruise far away from here….”.
Interestingly enough, the leaders referred to in the lyrics are the government and the opposition. One would think that this song pertains to one side or the other but it seems that no, they are sick and tired of both. The lyrics are from composer Ghassan Rahbani, someone long known for being irreverent and cutting when it comes to politicians.
The Arab Summit in Riyadh has Lebanon on the agenda. One would think that the opposing factions could have at least managed to go together but no, each one took a separate plane. One could say that instead of going there to solve the problems, it will be a battle of whose got the bigger ego. My money is on Lahoud.
Emile Lahoud should not be attending this meeting. He is not representative of the will of the people. Before the opposition decided to walk out, certain members were calling for his resignation just as loudly as the present government. He is a national embarrassment only hanging on to his Presidential seat so he cannot be sought in the murder of Rafik Al Hariri and 20 others more than two years ago.
Speaking of national embarrassments, let’s talk about both the sitting government and the opposition. Their combined egos and stubbornness have brought the country to a standstill. Foreign investment has all but stopped and people are leaving as soon as they can get their hands on a visa. When asked by the BBC if the opposition has accomplished anything, Ali Hamdan replied this:
“Up to now, politically speaking, nothing has been achieved. But you need two to tango – we are responsible for the crisis but the one who is holding the power has more responsibility….”
Let me just say that this is garbage. The only things he got right are that they are responsible for the crisis and they have achieved nothing. In fact, unless you count bringing the country to a standstill, all they have managed to do is cause strife and raise sectarian tensions to pre-civil war levels. Great achievements if chaos is what you are going for.
The government is not blameless. Reports received by me out of Lebanon paint a picture of a government so polarized they cannot even manage the basic functions of governance. Papers can’t even get signed. That too is garbage. You don’t need the six missing ministers to get some papers signed, you just need to sign them so life can have some sense of normalcy.
What we need is to throw out ALL of the old and bring in the new. Hopefully, someone will run in the next election that isn’t bound by ego or by an old family name. We need new blood and people willing to work for the good of the country, not just themselves.
Labels: Lebabon, politics
