Politics is a word often met with disgust or distrust in Lebanon; it reminds the vast majority of the Lebanese population of the misery they live in. Most of the Lebanese are branded happy, friendly, open-minded, multilingual and educated, altogether with unsatisfied; Lebanon is the symbol of how the lack of national unity combined with a number of equivalently prominent sects can tear a country apart, rendering it a muddle of conflicts and corruption.

Any influential political party in Lebanon represents, or aims to represent, a majority within a certain sect. Thus, the party assigns the bulk of its work and political agenda to the “welfare and interest of this sect” while affiliating itself to a country where that sect is dominant. However, always, by hook or by crook, ends up robbing the country’s assets to the favor of this party’s leading class and a faction of collaborators operating in different governmental institutions, leaving most of the constituents in every sect, and thus most of the Lebanese people endeavoring in escaping poverty.

 

Nevertheless, the logical question is why don’t the majority of Lebanese people realize this? Well, they actually do, and complaining is as common as the love of Shawarma in Lebanon. Everyone, regardless of sect and social class grumbles about loads of topics, ranging from electricity, to the internet service, to traffic control, to the system of roads, to the lack of safety, and the list goes on and on till the phrase “all the way to”, usually linked to the word from, which aborted its necessity.

 

Nevertheless, most of them sadly tend to blame the opposing party for these appalling conditions, disregarding their party’s involvement in the system. Muslims and Christians, during the past century, exchanged heated accusations over a number of domestic matters, combined with regional conflicts and influence, leading to the Civil War in 1975. Today, we Lebanese people live in a similar stage of finger pointing, only the sects in question, and naturally the political unions, changed. Amazingly, we have been criticizing the state we have to tolerate daily since an undefined era, regardless of which political force is in power, even if this political force is the one they support!

 

Why aren’t the Lebanese conscious yet? 

 The only answer is fear; fear, which has been evolving since the Phoenician era. As this fear shifts from one generation to the next, political parties exploit these worries to stay in control or reach authority. Of course, exceptions exist in the Lebanese community and in more than sufficient numbers amid all sects; however, these exceptions remain generally concealed by the overwhelming populace of cowards that are scattered with no binding faction wedged between this widespread feeling of concern and its direct result, blind fidelity to a specified politician.

 

I believe that there is no need to delve into the consequences of the broad and shared fear that rules our society, for all one has to do to know the aftermath for this country is to wake up and live an ordinary day, only while noting what isn’t adequate in this land. Most of the Lebanese people are sheep amidst wolves they elect, preying on their life, in terms of style and quality.

 

In my opinion this nation will never develop except if the Lebanese people surpass the bounds of fear and understand that the other can’t be terminated and thus unity is the only key to bliss’ door, while noticing how all of Lebanon’s major political parties are right-wing or ultra-right but none are righteous. Unity is achieved when we all go left, away from all parties who claim to be right.

 

By: Khaled Alameddine