Lebanon: Waiting for its People


What will it take for a people's revolution to burst forth on to Lebanese streets? Not so much to demand the fall of a regime but rather to demand the restoration of constitutional powers to the people and take them away from the political elite.

It has been said Arabs are an emotional people, easily goaded and angered, but that we never follow through with anything. On March 14, 2005, people, ordinary non-political men, women and children (my own aunt) took to the streets. They knew exactly what they wanted and they knew exactly who they sympathized with, but they never gave a second thought to what will come after the last Syrian soldier crossed the border. In fact many simply ignored the question all together, they were just happy, their actions had forced a regional power to pull its troops out of Lebanon.

Some one once said that a local despot is ten times worse than a foreign oppresor, I assume because a foreginer can always leave or be forced to leave, but we will always have to live with the local despot and/or his followers. Before anyone starts trying to interpret what I mean by 'local despot', make no mistake, I refer to all the political overlords in this deeply divided country.

There is no doubting the potency of people power in bringing about change. But first people must learn to act as a single unit, to act selflessly in the best interest of the many even against their own best interests. I would not say the political set are the problem, they are more the symptom of a malaise that afflicts us all. Its easier to delegate our right and duty to govern ourselves to others, if not a foreigner then one of us, someone we trust. We blindly give them our votes out of a misguided sense of loyalty and duty but we forget to keep watch on what they do with that mandate. Anyone who tries to warn us of their transgressions we resolutly shoot down and lable as an agent for the other side.

So, what would it take for the Lebanese to take to the streets? How expensive do basic food stuffs and fuel have to get, how inefficient do public services have to be, how many unemployed must we have? Or is it enough that we find band-aid solutions to everything and hobble on, keep going no matter how hard things get and pretend like this 'makes us tough'. Its that 'go it alone' spirit, that refusal to admit we are carrying a heavier burden than we could ever bear, that has kept this country and its people going, but for how long? I fear that when a threshold is finally reached the collapse may be total, chaos may reign supreme, just like a neglected old bridge that needs replacing finally sucumbs and colapses.

The Lebanese may be deeply committed free market capitalists, but if the fallen Arab regimes have taught us anything at all it is that there can be no free markets without a free people, without a people who are informed and aware of their rights, and without oversight to keep corruption in check.

We are all slaves to our basic needs, without which there is no life let alone free life. To be a truely free people we cannot be hungry, we cannot be lacking medical care, our children must go to school whether we can pay the fees or not. How can we call our country a republic when we know the votes that are cast at the ballot boxes are cast by a people whose spirits are crushed, whose bellies are empty.

Do not get me wrong, I do not call for a communist revolution, which would be anathema to all that the Lebanese hold dear, their freedom to choose how and where they live, their right to private property and private enterprise. Rather, I want to see a compasionate society emerge, an empowered society, confident in its choices, setting goals and making sure our elected officials meet these goals, otherwise show them the door.

So, what would it take to have people take to the streets? One push, just one push too far, just one abuse too many.

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