Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right.
- HL Mencken
- HL Mencken
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"I am not going to argue for my own sake, as you may think, but for yours"-Socrates
About Me
- Fadi
- "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win," said Ghandi.
The opposition party in this country didn't try hard enough to discredit the current administration, and we have been stuck with THE worst administration in history of our Republic! It's unbelievable how incredibly BAD this jackass, and his administration is! UNBELIEVABLE! UN @#$!@# BELIEVABLE!
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"Democracy is the worst form of governmant invented by man.... Save for all the others"
W.Churchill
.. and if you remove the current administration, you end up such an opposition as "rulers." How can one reconcile. There is a saying "the misfortune that you know if better than that you don't."
ReplyDeleteDilemma of democracy. The decline of the elitist role in administraiton and progress, and the triumph of the public whims.. where Miss April on Playboy can become a head of state.. then what??
The people are in the streets of Beiurt.. La Public de la Republique. Then what??
i know.. it has its faults.. but there is value in self validation.. as long as it is within reasonable limits..
ReplyDeleteproblem is democracy assumes a highly involved and aware public.. as a public we rarely deliver..
The real problem with Democracy ( as least as it is practiced here) is that our politicians speak so broadly, so as to cover all the "bases," that real leadership and real leaders can't get elected. It really does "dumb down" the electorate.
ReplyDeleteThey tell you exactly want they think the majority want to hear.
We haven't had a "leader," a person that unites the entire nation since Reagan. Before that Kennedy, before that Roosevelt. It's like you get one decent leader out of four. AND... we get a really bad one every twenty years.
This one is un-beleivable, but it got re-elected!
At least with our democracy we can eventually put them out, knowing they can't return.
I know Lebanon has had more than her share of National crisis, but I am sometimes envious at how passionate you guys are about your politics.
I guess we are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Americans are too apethetic, and the Lebanese too passionate.
The real problem with Democracy ( as least as it is practiced here) is that our politicians speak so broadly, so as to cover all the "bases," that real leadership and real leaders can't get elected. It really does "dumb down" the electorate.
ReplyDeleteThey tell you exactly want they think the majority want to hear.
We haven't had a "leader," a person that unites the entire nation since Reagan. Before that Kennedy, before that Roosevelt. It's like you get one decent leader out of four. AND... we get a really bad one every twenty years.
This one is un-beleivable, but it got re-elected!
At least with our democracy we can eventually put them out, knowing they can't return.
I know Lebanon has had more than her share of National crisis, but I am sometimes envious at how passionate you guys are about your politics.
I guess we are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Americans are too apethetic, and the Lebanese too passionate.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI posted most of this on Lirun's blog, I will repost it here as I feel it is relevant.
Lebanon is not a democracy per se. The Lebanese democracy is better defined as "Concessionary Democracy." Of course, the Lebanese enjoy freedoms of speech and of demonstration etc. etc.. But majority/minority doesn't work – we are 17 minorities. The lines of division are among the 17 different religious sects (Confessional System), and then among political lines (Concessional System). An awkward case which comes to a standstill every once in a while.. and bursts into flames then and again.
I am so anti-opposition, anti-Hizbullah, and rather have two-week constipation than hear General Aoun talk, but on the other hand, the freedom for political minorities to make their voices heard is an important feature. To reflect on what Emory is saying, Imagine for example if the Democrats in the US could make the same noise as the Hizbullah/FPM (Free Patriotic Movement) are making in Lebanon (knowing that they have better representation in Congress than HA/FPM)?
In other words, what is today a nightmare could turn out to be a blessing when/if the pro-government group becomes a minority itself.
We have to remember that the Lebanese people demonstrated in March 14, 2005 and brought down the government under Syrian occupation, and imposed change. At that time the March 14th movement had a minority in the parliament then (around 52 MP out of 128). Believe it or not, the opposition now has something like 58 out of 128.
For the outsiders, it's hard to comprehend, for the insiders it's a constant source of noise and tension and division. The division has spread to families - but the lesson to be learned is: the voice of the people has to be heard. Constitutions do not change the right of the people to request change or to exercise their rights. The people are the source of government and power. Both parties realize this but one tries to ignore it for a while every time. What we are afraid of in Lebanon is the nightmares of yesterday, what we are afraid of is not the flag-waving crowds, but we are afraid of ourselves. While I am terrorized myself that this can get out of hand, I believe that if we are so frightened then we will exercise extra caution.
God Forbid Lebanon should have a Democracy (aka uncontested Rule of Majority).. While I as a majority government supporter enjoy the "huh, hope it rains and is very cold out there in front of the Ministerial Palance" for a while, I know it's not going to last forever; It is because our country is not a democracy that the people could ask for impose earlier, and that our people can ask for change later.. Next time if Opposition wins, I'll camp right in front of the government palace and make noise.. it feels better to criticize than to defend a politician in office.
Good news is: You ask for the extreme but you get to the middle ground.
In May 6th 1995 – as a teen-ager and as a 30-year-old man over 2005, I have screamed my heart out against our PM Omar Karami. I hated the bastard so much I can still scream right now.. I feel for those young men and women in the street.. Don’t like what they are saying, but nonetheless proud of them.. I know that those who stand for what they believe is right will stand for what "we" believe is right, today, tomorrow, and a long way down the road.
Fortunately or unfortunately, our Lebanon is always in metamorphosis, in Labour. The Phoenix legend of burst into fire and rise is a poets' dream, but a planner's nightmare I should say!!
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