Can the Lebanese Politicians Ever Abide by the Constitution?

It is problematic when the leadership of March 14 never tires of asking the government to resign. I happen to think that this has been a very ineffective cabinet and that the time for a change is way overdue. But one should not expect a cabinet to resign only because the opposition says so during press conferences only. There is a legitimate parliamentary procedure to be followed if and when any of the 128 members of the Chamber wishes to call for vote of confidence in the cabinet as a whole. March 14, unfortunately has chosen not to follow that path but instead to use the press to release statements that are neither effective nor meaningful.

If Mr. Saniora wants us to really believe that he is the reasonable leader of a large bloc of representatives in the Chamber then the least he could do is challenge the cabinet in a vote of confidence, even one that his group cannot win. It is the nature of these challenges that will keep the cabinet as a whole and each of its individual members sensitive to the demands and needs of the others in the state. The same logic, obviously, would demand nothing less than that by Mr. Geagea and his Lebanese Forces if they are truly dissatisfied with the policies and the programs of the present cabinet. As for Sa’ad Hariri, I am afraid that he has given up the right to either head a new cabinet or even lead a major bloc. Someone should remind Mr. Hariri that he got his chance and his performance was and still is way below par. It is time for him to recognize that politics is not his forte neither is leadership.

None of the above is to be interpreted as an endorsement of Mr. Mikati who had a chance to repeat his previous performance as a PM but instead decided to play second fiddle to Michel Aoun, Hassan Nasrallah and to act at times as if he is working for Damascus.

A democracy, even a shallow one, is expected to at least be able to implement the major constitutional declarations as prescribed by law. This means that nothing, absolutely nothing, can justify not holding elections at the date specified by law.  One of the most sacrosanct principles in the rule of law is to abide by the details of the law as prescribed. These major institutional decisions are not to be handled casually by changing them whenever one desires. Laws are to be respected and it is the duty of governments, to take the constitutional responsibility very seriously. Unfortunately very few, if any, in the present cadre of Lebanese politicians seems to be up to this major task.

The Chamber is clearly forbidden from electing to the Presidency an ex Chief of the Army but yet that was exactly what they did without even questioning the unconstitutionality of their act. As if that is not enough, they have failed for twenty years to elect a Senate and to deconfesionalize the Chamber as well as all positions in the government. Add to the above the fact that the central government does not dare exercise its power in certain regions of the country nor over some groups. It is not only that they tolerate the challenge to the government authority but they even encourage it through their inability to treat all regions and all citizens as equal.  The above are only the tip of the iceberg: This cabinet as well as its predecessors have failed to combat corruption that has become endemic, have neglected to construct a reliable electric grid in a self described tourist state and have dared to introduce economic legislation and practices that defy any and all teachings of any school of thought in the field. And finally the cabinets for the past twenty years have acted as if the national sovereign debt challenge does not exist; they hope that the probability of a potential offshore gas find is going to resolve this issue. That is so irresponsible that it reminds me of the Greek tragedies whose plot builds up to a level that is impossible to solve until a deus ex machina appears. (A heavenly solution:-)).

The Lebanese politicians have had so many opportunities to prove their allegiance to the country, to democracy and to law and order. Unfortunately they have failed practically every single time. I hope that they hold elections on time without any resort to such gimmicks as extensions. If they fail this time then it might be one time too many.

But Can They Govern?

Now that the elections are over and the political coalition of March 14 managed to hold its ground, the hard work is about to begin.
It is important for the newly elected members of parliament to remember what is their role in this democratic game. Contrary to what many of them seem to think, they have not been elected in order to cash in their huge paychecks from a government that is practically bust and that survives only by passing the hat at the sight of a dollar. They have not been elected to rubber stamp all the decisions made by their tribal chiefs and they have not been elected to flaunt the law and travel in motorcades surrounded by armed hoodlums even on their way to lunch. In this game they are supposed to serve one purpose only; be an honest hard working representative of the electorate, their concerns and aspirations. They are expected to be accessible, transparent and humble but above all else they have to be principled. Members of parliament are elected to serve the public, to listen to the peoples concerns and to live up to the promises that were made during the campaign. MPs are to be trustworthy and whenever they betray the trust entrusted to them then they should not be reelected. Unfortunately many of them do and when that happens it is not the MP that is at fault but it is the citizen who is equally responsible for the efficient and democratic performance of government. No government can be held accountable unless the public at large is willing and able to judge the performance of that government.
The next phase in the political drama that is unfolding in Lebanon is for the majority to step forward, form a government and submit legislation that is geared to restore to the central government its authority, to promote fair and balanced economic development, to tackle the budget deficit, enact welfare programs geared to spread social justice, to take strong measures that would protect whatever is left of our natural endowment and to make renewable clean energy a top priority.
March 14 is expected by most analysts to form the next cabinet, possibly under the leadership of Sa’ad Hariri. Although that was a partial goal of the elections the greater expectation is to have them govern effectively with fairness and justice. But can they govern? The short answer to the question is a strongly qualified maybe. The major two pillars of March 14, Walid Jumblatt and Sa’ad Hariri have already hinted clearly about their intentions to accept challenges to the authority of government. If that comes to pass and March 14 proceeds to sweep under the carpet the issue of illegitimacy of the arms of Hezbollah then March14 would have to be considered a total failure. Those who are willing to appease warlords and go back on promises that were made during the campaign do not deserve to rule or to be entrusted. Walid Jumblatt seems to have forgotten his own pronouncements about the incompatibility of a Hezbollah and a free Lebanese state while Sa’ad Hariri is willing to call appeasement a compromise.
What Lebanon needs over the next few weeks is a concerted effort by those that value the basic principles of democracy and decency not to allow the political leadership of March 14 to forget its promises and commitments. But can they govern? The answer has to be a resounding no if they are willing to cut a deal with the largest war lord in the Middle East whose only legitimacy and that of his group is the ownership of the most sophisticated and illegal arms cache and who have no respect for the rule of law.

The Lebanese Elections: Begining of the End of Hezbollah Hegemony?

The Lebanese Elections: Beginning of the End of Hezbollah Hegemony?
The official results for the recent Lebanese parliamentary elections have not been announced yet. They are expected to be made public in the next 12- 18 hours. If the unofficial results, widely reported by all parties, are to hold then it is time to loose the spin and look for the real message of this electoral campaign. We could be about to experience a sea change in the governmental structure of Lebanon that will have wide ranging impact all throughout the region.
It is clear that the coalition of March 14 has prevailed. They have maintained their majority by winning, in conjunction with their allies, 71 of the 128 parliamentary seats. The victory is much bigger than what the numbers of seats reflects since these results were accomplished against the obstacles and machinations of Hezbollah, its allies in Lebanon and beyond. The Syrian President , Bashar Assad, and his Iranian counterpart, Ahmadinajad , must be quite displeased about the performance of their Lebanese agents especially that of General Aoun. This victory is so much more impressive in light of the fact that March 14 has managed to maintain its majority under two different electoral setups, 2005 and 2009. It did not seem to make much of a difference which elections system is used, March 14 just wins. The rationale for why that is so is simple and straight forward; March 14 is seen to stand for hope, decency, potential prosperity, individual liberty and above all else a firm belief in the sovereignty and independence of the Lebanese state. The opposition, on the other hand, acted as if the Lebanese state is an after thought, what matters to them were the national interests of Iranian clergy, Syrian Bath and to keep and even increase the size and sophistication of their illegal militia. This militia was used to intimidate the established legal government of Lebanon and was used to drag the country into a war it could ill afford. Furthermore, this military wing is totally financed by foreign powers and established within the country a state within a state including its own unauthorized telecommunication network. Although Hezbollah had no use or respect for the Lebanese authorities yet it asked the loyal Lebanese citizens to support its acts of weakening and dismantling whatever authority the state has. Ironically they expected the Lebanese people to participate in that destructive and undemocratic game. The rhetoric of their allies did not help either. Michel Aoun, one of Hezbollah’s main Christian allies, spent months railing against the old electoral system that he claimed robbed many from choosing their own candidates through gerrymandering electoral districts when in fact he lost in the districts that he helped create and won essentially in the districts that were gerrymandered.
The elections are over and it is time for the newly elected politicians to roll up their sleeves and form a cabinet based on democratic principles. They should waste no time in reforming the election system by adopting a non sectarian system of single districts. That is the only way to give the communities a chance to elect their own representatives and to diminish the stranglehold of the established “feudal” like power of the traditional regional leaders. It would also be very helpful to require the candidate to reside in the district in which she plans to stand for election.
Victory has its own rewards and so March 14 must insist that the majority party should govern and to give a veto power to the opposition is tantamount to desecrating the results of the elections.