Lessons Saad Hariri Should Have Learnt By Now

It is no more a secret to anyone who or what is blocking the formation of the Lebanese government thanks to the “move” that Premier-designate Saad Hariri made a couple of days ago when he nominated the country’s new cabinet, with enough arrogance to name the Free Patriotic Movement’s “ministers”.

The choice of the names that Hariri picked from FPM and the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc were not naïve. They were, in fact, carefully studied, as the whole formula was designed to put FPM in front of the fait accompli while betting that alleged internal FPM issues would be its passport to success. Of course, his maneuver backlashed.

But of course, the Premier-designate is new to political life, just the same as he is new to the concept of a country called Lebanon that he only knew after the death of his father, the late prime minister Rafik Hariri. So apparently Hariri the son, oftentimes if not always ill-counseled by his numerous advisers, is totally ignorant of democratic party dynamics where political competition is key, but where the interests of the country prevail. What he also ignores is that however attractive and appealing public office is, FPM politicians and partisans never succumbed to its temptations in the past, nor will they in the future.

As such, the choice of Alain Aoun was meant to infuriate Gebran Bassil, knowing that the two figures are highly ranked at FPM; the choice of Farid Khazen was meant to offer the Kesrwan MP a temptation that was supposed to work double the impact, since is not a registered party member; the choice of General Edgard Maalouf was meant to enrage General Issam Abou Jamra after his defeat in the parliamentary elections. Of course, the plot failed and solidarity was reassured and confirmed by all those involved and by the Change and Reform bloc.

But who was candid enough to believe that the Cabinet would be formed soon after the elections and that the request made by the opposition to have proportional representation to parliament will be met? Why would it be met? Why would Hariri please General Michel Aoun? After all, didn’t he, with his allies, ranging from the United States to Saudi Arabia, make all efforts, used and abused the system, employed every kind of corrupt maneuver during the elections to try to wipe General Aoun out of the political map?

It has become clear that systematic Saudi-brokered attempts to undermine the Christians of Lebanon, through their main representative, are ongoing and the same objectives are still being fought, only in different times and different scenarios. These attempts can be summarized as follows:

First, at the root of the Lebanese war was the Palestinian issue: The Palestinians were given the green light to have a substitution state in Lebanon and they tried expanding through the Christian region, which led the Christian Lebanese Resistance to fight them while the whole world watched. The West, of which Lebanon’s Christians were always “accused” by their fellow countrymen of being “affiliated” with, just left the Christians to battle their own demons throughout 15 years of war.

Second, in 1990, the Saudi-brokered Taef agreement that stripped Lebanon’s Christians from their basic rights and transferred powers to the Sunni prime minister: With the approval of the Maronite Patriarch and while the whole world watched (again!), the Syrian troops raided the Christian area committing all kinds of massacres, and General Aoun was forced into exile. You know the story. They thought this was the end of Lebanon’s Christians and they were wrong. The international community was still watching… but “sympathetically” (it is important!).

Third, 15 years of exile and marginalization of Christians from political life: Lebanon was under occupation, and as Hariri’s successful cabinets were busy embezzling and squandering public funds, young university students were arrested, tortured, and imprisoned. The international community was still watching! No sorry, not watching… turning a blind eye.

Fourth, after the “awakening” of the ill-fated so-called Cedar revolution: The international community insisted on having “democratic and free” elections held under a law enacted under the occupation, just to make sure the Christians are still submitted to the same fate as they had been for 15 years. No journalist, no analyst wondered or asked the following question: how would the French people have felt had General De Gaulle held elections in France after WW2 according to a Nazi law? But of course, the international community has other standards for Lebanon. And while they watched, we won a sweeping victory…

Fifth (and I am only recounting key events), came the 2009 elections: this time, all resources had to be used and abused: money, intimidation, Diaspora, and then again, money and money and money, in elections that will go down in history as the most corrupt ever. These elections were meant to put an end to FPM and the Christians of Lebanon. Unfortunately, the huge amounts of money did not wipe FPM and General Aoun out of the political map. Oh I almost forgot, the international community was watching- to say the least. But this time it was acclaiming the “peaceful, free, and democratic” elections!

So after all this, who still believes that Hariri had the intention of forming a real national unity government?

But if I were him, I would learn one lesson, at least: I would stop wasting time and hurting the country with useless attempts that fall in the same category of the above-mentioned events. If I were him, I would understand once and for all, that the rules of the game have changed. If I were him I would acknowledge that there is an unbeatable, incorruptible party in this country that he will never get rid of. And I would understand that for those people who faced the tanks of the occupier and the whole world unarmed using their own bodies as shields (while he was in some country enjoying his time), for those people who relentlessly stood up for all they believe in, for those people, standing up to Saad Hariri is a piece of cake!