It's been almost a fortnight since the Lebanese people have taken to the streets. For days and nights in a row, people stormed the public squares and spaces and many were sleeping in tents to remain on the field until demands were met. Practically, what were/is the Lebanese people asking for? First, the resignation of the Prime Minister. Second, the creation of an independent and qualified mini-government that will have limited legislative powers to draft, among others, a new electoral law in view of heading to the voting urns within the next 6 months. Once the Parliament is updated, a new government would take over and we would have a new President of the Republic. Many were betting on the people getting tired of being on the streets, while others were spreading fake and/or alarming news and opinions to bully and/or frighten the protestors. And the people did not bulge. In fact, their numbers kept steady and sometimes were growing, while several groups were organizing sit-ins and open-air lectures to inform the people. If Samir Kassir could see the people conversing about politics and economics in the square named after him, he would be thrilled. And so would Gerban Tueni be wowed, if he could hear his anthem of 2005 updated to the current populist movement. I am referring to 2 big icons of the uprise of 2005 who both were assassinated in 2005 for having spoken up their minds out loud, regardless if I agree with their claims or not. Both stood up for the people and voiced out what a lot of the Lebanese people demanded back then, which is for Syria to remove its grip on our institutions and country. Not that it was fully reached, which led to me putting my Lebanese flag away... until October 17, 2019.
At first, the people in power were taken by surprise at the uprise and didn't really know what to do with it, especially since no leader of the people on the streets came forward. Only because there was no leader. The protests came from deep pain, hunger and a feeling of we cannot take this any longer. The government stalled, dithered, and finally, the Prime Minister gave in and resigned. A couple of days prior to that, a human chain was organized from the North to the South to show the solidarity of the Lebanese people and how peaceful we want things to move forward. The Revolution surpassed drinking, partying, and chanting in the late hours of the night. It is still a beautiful and spontaneous movement, bringing people together and bridging any possible differences that many a politician and/or religious leader was betting on to keep his/her flocks under his/her reign. Since the PM's resignation, it might have seemed that the action on the streets had withered. Especially, after the President of the Republic went on air to allege the "revolutions' demands". For a short moment, I thought, is he joining us on the streets?... Haha. Of course not. The poor man was barely able to stand to give his speech and for a moment I pitied him for having to behave the way he did. I surely do not want to be in his shoes... His popularity is decreasing daily when people are realizing more and more that they had been disillusioned. And let down. These people had been beaten up, incarcerated, and kept demanding that the "strong" General came back from his exile in Paris. They thought he would be the one with the balls to take the country into glorious days. And as much as their hopes were high, so came the bitter truth, disappointing. Disorienting. At least for those who had brains to use to check and see facts and not remain clasped to great slogans that meant nothing on the ground...
So the next day, Sayyed Nasrallah spoke in the name of Hezbollah and his legions. And soon after, I heard Samir Geagea, another Christian politician, and also other politicians from various religious backgrounds started commenting publicly on the ongoing situation. This got me right upset before I calmed myself down and started analyzing what was going on. First, as a dying body attached to its last breaths, all those political party leaders, and some religious leaders too, belonged to a system and hence they had to try and ride the wave of the people. I started asking myself, what was it with all those speeches? Some parts made sense, others much less. As if those leaders were really disconnected from what was going on in the field... Did any of those speeches negatively affect the protestors? Hell no! The movement did not back down. It was actually going crescendo! From the thugs who stormed the peaceful crowds at the moment the PM's resignation went public, and as these criminals were knocking down anything and anyone on their passage, women included, to the people who went back to close streets in solidarity with each other, I here refer to the beautiful start given by Tripoli to the rest of the regions as a reminder that it was not about the PM and more about fighting off the complete cancerous and dying system, and to the buzzing groups in so many locations wondering and thinking aloud on how to take things to the next stage, Lebanon resembled a really large beehive in full activity: practically half the population on the streets pressing for change and the other half mesmerized and getting organized to retaliate. How will the tit for tat be? Sometimes, it feels like we have been catapulted into a giant kindergarten with the people in power resembling the Hydra... Yet, let's get more explicit. No one can predict the future. We can only work on creating the future we aspire to. Anyone claiming they can foresee the doom or rise of whatever might happen is a charlatan. What we are sure of, is where we currently stand at this very moment. We have a system that stopped functioning be it on the political level, the economic level, or the social level. Most people in Lebanon agree with this. Even those who are against the protests and the change. See, change is scary. Change is uncertain. And change is painful. I have heard so many on either side worrying, what if we tipped the country into chaos? Dears, the country was already in chaos: no electricity, no water, no solution for garbage, a squandered environment, abnormal pollution levels, wasted resources, and the list goes on and on and on... True, the shadows of the 1975 Civil war and the following smaller ones are still vivid in our memories. And the sectarian divide is enlivened by those same people clinging to those posts in power. These corrupt public servants can claim all they want that they want to fight corruption in all its declinations, and what have they done so far? Zilch. Nada. And even if they didn't personally embezzle public funds, watching their colleagues do and keeping their mouths shut about the fraud is a crime in itself!
Let's get more practical here. It is now in the open that at least 50% of the Lebanese population does not trust the people in power to govern or implement corrective action or lead the country out of this turmoil. De facto, the power was reclaimed by the people. It is also in the open that the people are requesting a civic state, that would guarantee the rights, and duties, of its citizens, regardless of their gender, partisan, religion, or any other personal beliefs and/or practices. We do not want to reflect on what will happen to the Christians if a Muslim led the country. Nor do we want to address the concerns of the Sunnis being outnumbered by the Shi'a. The people have crossed this line. The people want to live in dignity and peace. And the social issues can only be resolved when the economic crisis that had been budding for a couple of years needs is also addressed. Urgently. It cannot be postponed. The people are fed up with words and slogans that are not being transformed into action. It is true that we cannot close the streets in protest indefinitely. If businesses don't make revenues, how are they supposed to pay their employees? And if these employees do not get their salaries paid how are they supposed to survive? Pretending that the demands of the people are what the people in power have wanted and claimed so many years ago does not do the trick anymore: you were in power, you had ministers, parliamentarians, and coalitions. Yet close to nothing was really done. Pointing fingers at each other and whining that the others did not let you achieve what you had planned is mere bullshit. We want to reinforce and vitalize our agriculture and our industries. Not given strengthening your cartels. But with the perspective of heading towards becoming less dependent on imports to reverse the catastrophic economic situation we are in. The state is indebted more than ever, and exponentially since the nineties. It will take a lot of sacrifices as the right corrective decisions will not be easy. I am not an economist and do not pretend to be one. I will leave you with this video from Pierre Madani, the CFO of Kafalat, which explains pretty clearly where we are at and what we can do to get out of this deep hole.
I am updating this article on November 3rd, 2019. As I write, thousands of people have gathered to support the President of the Republic in the whereabouts of the Presidential Palace. My disturbed friends some family members and even my neighbors called me to urge me to watch and explain what was going on. I honestly say: that the Lebanese people in its majority want a strong state for all its nationals, with no exceptions. If some want to show support for their zaïm (i.e. leader), it is their right to express themselves. Like we are entitled to demand a civic state for all of us, them included. I repeat I am not a specialist. Yes, I have studied political sciences. And all I have done in this current historic occurrence is to observe and listen before making up my own mind. Well, I also am protesting every day in different locations to get a more complete feel of the vibes on the field. And what I am seeing so far is not at all unexpected. Finally, the masks are being torn down. One by one. And it is reinforcing my view that the Lebanese people have somehow matured to become a Nation. With all its diversities and allegiances. This is the beauty and richness of having people with different opinions and affiliations come together. Sadly, fear and ignorance drive people in a lot of moments. Fear and ignorance of the Other: what if this or that religious community took over my voice? These opponents are armed and will not play by the rules, what then? Fear and ignorance of what politics, economics and the social fabric and their endless possibilities can speak for. What if we removed these corrupt politicians? What if worse public servants take their place? How can we guarantee that we will reach our goals after removing the current political cliques? The questions go on. I am not belittling any of them. They stem first from the hearts of those asserting them. Out of deep rooted fear. And then from ignorance. And those can be eradicated. With time. They require courage, patience, perseverance, determination and the will to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Because like the picture I added at the beginning of this article states, "birds in a cage believe that freedom is a crime"...
