Posts Tagged ‘Ashrafieh’
Demolishing Iconic public Stairs: Mar Mikhael stairs in Ashrafiyeh (Lebanon)
Posted by: adonis49 on: November 12, 2013
Demolishing Iconic public Stairs: Mar Mikhael stairs in Ashrafiyeh (Lebanon)
Would you protest for the removal of a historic set of stairs in your neighborhood? People in Beirut are suffocating for lack of green spaces, and yet, local residents are willing to fight for stairs.
I watched on the evening news the protest of the neighborhood to that iconic stairs (about 66 stairs) and they all promised to die in front of the bulldozing machine… Many people have taken these stairs as their reference and place of daily work…
Ashrafieh is hilly. Sassine square is up on a hill and Mar Mikhael’s toes dip in the sea (before reclaiming the sea that is).
Anyone who walks around Ashrafieh/Gemmayzeh/Tabaris/Mar Mikhael knows how essential these stairs are, and the time they save. They’re also cultural and historical icons where dozens of festivals, exhibitions and performances take place.
Residents Protest Demolition of Mar Mikhael Stairs
Here’s why the decision by the Municipality of Beirut (dominated by Al Mustakbal movement of the Hariri clan) to demolish the Massaad stairs, known as the Mar Mikhael stairs, is unreasonable.
- It means too much to so many people. This is a historic piece of land that many if not most of us have memories on. Personally, I’ve walked up and down (believe it or not) those stairs dozens of times when I lived in the area growing up. I’ve also been to many an art performance and exhibition on those now colorful steps.
- It is the only outlet for many houses on it.
- It’s too narrow. Just look at it, how can a road (which will have cars parked on the side) be of any use?
- Traffic. There’s a vast network of crisscrossing roads already, and adding this one won’t have much value, if any. It’ll just add to traffic on Armenia Street and make the resident’s lives uncomfortable.
I hope the ultra-corrupt Beirut Municipality will reconsider, and that the residents’ pleas are heard. I’d also like to tell the residents we are with them, and will support them in any non-violent action they take to try and stop this unfair and unnecessary plan.
Election Day:Bi-Weekly Report (#25)
Posted by: adonis49 on: June 9, 2009
Bi-Weekly Report (#25) on Lebanon and the Middle East (June 8, 2009)
Sunday, June 7, 2009 Election Day in Lebanon
I got up at 4 a.m. on Sunday June 7, 2009; it is Election Day for the Parliament in Lebanon. I wrote and published the post “I have a position: I am voting today”. As my parents were ready we drove around 8:15 to one of the three election centers in the town of Beit-Chabab. Our center was located in the previous private school that the municipality has purchased five years ago and didn’t move in yet. This is the first time in Lebanon that election is done in one day: Parliamentary elections were performed in two successive Sundays until the last election proved that parties with heavier financial muscles could regroup, focus, and swing elections to their advantages by chastising parties that didn’t stick to the alliance terms in the previous Election Sunday.
I was shocked by the long line that did not move. The army was positioned outside the perimeter and the internal security forces within the enclosed place. You had first to exhibit your ID to enter the only entrance/exit “door”. You wait for a security officer to call on a range of numbers corresponding to your family civil record. The elder people were given priority and my parents voted within half an hour. The urn assigned to my category was very slow in processing voters. I sat and ate a loaf of “mankoush bi zaatar” that one party was distributing. I asked my parents to hitchhike home. I waited for an hour and a half and the line never budged. I lost any hope for my turn to come in the morning. I returned home hoping to come back after lunch for the line to get moving. Those who arrived at 7 a.m. made it nicely. My brother-in-law, a retired military officer, voted for the first time as well as one of his eligible daughters.
I retuned at 1:30 after lunch to the voting urns and had to wait another hour before I managed to vote. There were too many voters for the reduced number of urns (kalam ektira3); citizens complained that they lined up as if they were receiving rations “i3ashi”. General Michel Aoun of the Tayyar Party has warned a couple of months ago on the strong possibility of this problem and had suggested that election be resumed on two successive days.
The opposition claimed that the slow process was intentional to discourage their voters from exercising patience. Apparently, the slow processing of voter lines is due mainly, in addition to the first reason, to the decrease in numbers of urns because of shortage in personnel. By law, any voter within the enclosed voting area was eligible to vote after 7 p.m. Dozens of election monitoring groups from around the world were gathered in Lebanon to take notes of the proceedings; the groups of ex-US President Jimmy Carter, the European Union, and the Arab League were present weeks before that well “observed” and critical day.
News are that over 100 thousands Lebanese immigrants flew in to participate in the election process.
Monday Morning, June 8, 2009
I got up at 4 a.m. and watched TV for any crumbs of news on the election results and removed to my study to read. Official results will not be in before noon but I got a good idea of the trend. Our neighborhood and the districts of Metn and Kesrouan are very calm and not because people are not up. The government coalition parties that usually are the loudest and the most trouble makers have lost the election in these two districts.
Unofficial results indicate that the government allies received a majority of 67 deputies to 57 for the opposition. Actually, the results were already known before midnight. The minister of the interior Ziad Baroud had announced previously not to expect any official results before late afternoon. My contention is that, in addition to waiting for formal arrival of evidences, the minister of the interior was asked to delay official results for 18 hours. The purpose of that delay is first, to permit negotiations for swapping deputies from losers to winners as the implicit entente of the Dawha agreement demanded so that the main leaders represented there will re-enter Parliament and second, so that the difference between opposition and government coalition deputies would not exceed more than 5 deputies.
The opposition coalition major defeats were in the districts of Betroun, Koura, Zahle, and Ashrafieh (Beirut 1). The government coalition lost Baabda and Zghorta districts.
The main leaders on both sides are winners; Saad Hariri, Michel Aoun, Walid Jumblat, and Hezbollah. Thus, any government has to be formed of the three major blocks representing the three main religious sects (Maronite, Shiaa, and Sunni) with practically even power politically in the parliament.
Basically, the Tayyar of Michel Aoun has increased the number of its deputies from 20 to over 27; the Tayyar gained the leader Suleiman Frangieh of Zghorta and lost Skaf of Zahle. Michel Aoun strengthened his unchallenged Maronite leadership in Mount Lebanon (the district of Jubeil, Kesrouan, Metn, Baabda, and Jezzine). The block of General Michel Aoun represents two third of the Maronite deputies and 50% of the Christian deputies and an overwhelming popular support in all Lebanon.
Hezbollah gained the strategic district of Baabda because it is an extension to its headquarters in south Beirut. Consequently, the resistance had secured internal political backing of all Mount Lebanon to the southern borders. Obviously, Hezbollah prevails militarily and Lebanon policy of defense cannot circumvent Hezbollah’s concerns for its internal security.
Saad Hariri emerged as the unchallenged leader of the Sunni sect in Beirut, Saida, North Lebanon, and the central Bekaa Valley. Fouad Seniora PM got a seat in Saida.
The main losers are the President of the Republic, Michel Suleiman, because the opposition coalition badly defeated the President’s implicit list of candidates in the district of Jubeil. The Maronite Patriarch lost because he can no longer claim any political weight in Mount Lebanon since he publicly supported the parties challenging Michel Aoun. Thus, Michel Aoun is practically the political leader of the Maronite sect according to Lebanon’s caste system.
One fact stands out in this tough election: it is my contention that the sacerdotal caste of the Christian Greek Orthodox did its best to challenge Michel Aoun as the pre-eminent representative of all the Christians in Lebanon. The Greek Orthodox clergy played politics big time by defeating the Tayyar in Koura, Betroun, and Ashrafieh. I am not worried about this positioning at this phase because the Greek Orthodox citizens are the staunchest Lebanese patriots against our main enemy Israel; most of the secular and national founders of political parties were Greek Orthodox. Michel Aoun will have to temper his zeal and negotiate with this Christian sect as an equal. In any event, Saad Hariri will owe the Christian Orthodox big time for the next four years otherwise he is doomed to lose the majority in next Parliamentary election.
The Christian Armenians could swing victory only in the Metn district because they failed in Ashrafieh and Zahle to make any difference facing the outnumbered Sunni voters.
Actually, the 4,000 Sunni voters in Koura reversed a sure win for the opposition to a defeat by less than one thousand votes. The opposition lost the district of Zahle because the government hads transferred the registration of over 25 thousands of Sunnis to Zahle in preparation for this election. This election was an exacerbation of Sunni confessional rallying cry as the other religious sects were distancing from confessional rhetoric. Saudi Arabia monarchy is deeply immersed in an ugly and dirty confessional battle.
Monday Evening
Ziad Baroud returned partial official results of 15 out of 26 districts (kada2) by noon and a full declaration by 6 p.m. The trick that there were discussions going on for swapping deputies did not take off in Lebanon’s archaic confessional political system. For example, I considered that at least two losing traditional deputies in Zahle would be declared winners in return for two traditional losers in the Metn District. Lebanon election experienced high turn out averaging over 60%.
Hassan Nasr Allah of Hezbollah delivered a speech by 8:30 p.m. He reminded the citizens of the lies of the government coalition leaders who used scare tactics claiming that the resistance would use its military power to affect election procedures and results. In any case, if the new political power sharing is to take off then any discussion of Hezbollah military reality should be restricted to the special conference table on defense strategies.
Iran is having its Presidential election on June 12, 2009. The candidates Ahmadinajad and Mossawi faced off in a television debate. Moussawi suckered to the public opinion of the western nations’ demands: he is speaking as a foreign affairs minister and not a candidate to win the presidency. The attitude of appeasing the western public opinions is considered very disgusting in Iran and not the characteristic of a vast “Empire”.
The largest, widest, and lengthiest military exercise conducted by Israel for 5 days and which started on May 31 faltered and was a failure. The Israeli citizens did not respond as expected and went on to their daily routine as if nothing is happening, regardless of the loud and frequent siren alarms. Those five days were a holiday and not of any serious exigencies. The Israelis on the Lebanese borders were the least concerned. The message was clear and louder than the siren alarms “Governments of Israel, we want peace. We no longer believe than security should take priority over peace treaty. For 61 years you have driven us hard to countless pre-emptive and expansionist wars. Enough is enough. We paid dearly for mindless and losing priorities and we want your policy to do the right thing. We want peace, period”
President Barak Obama has to deliver something tangible in the Middle East and very soon, and not six months from now as he is planning. Periods of sweet talking with nothing tangible in return are gone. The Palestinian Statehood is due now! The return of the Golan Heights to Syria is due now! Direct negotiations with Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon Hezbollah are due now! Stabilizing Pakistan is due now! The return of the Shebaa Farms and the Hills of Kfarshouba to Lebanon is due now! A specific schedule for the return of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon to Palestine is due now!
Why my urgency to resolving decades of roadblocks in the Middle East? Simple: the Middle East has been steadily catching on to extremist confessional attitudes as the absolution of Israel’s horrors and genocides has been the trade mark of the western nations. Lebanon is catching on quickly to isolationist confessional extremism and if Lebanon is no longer a viable experiment for democracy then the USA and Europe will have no one to blame but themselves for laxity in executing and enforcing what is the right thing to do in this region.
Quick,The Third Republic: For Lebanon?
Posted by: adonis49 on: June 2, 2009
The Third Republic of Lebanon: The Tayyar of General Michel Aoun (June 1, 2009)
The formal and extensive visits of Michel Aoun to Iran and then to Syria had three purposes. First purpose was symbolic of “breaking bread and sharing salt” which meant that confidence is established and hidden agendas will be stated clearly among friends.
The second purpose was to focus attention on the ethnic and religious minorities so that Iran and Syria would exercise more leverage to preserving the persecuted minorities in Iraq.
The third purpose was to exposing the draft program of the Third Republic that need to be instituted in Lebanon in order to relieve Iran and Syria from constant worries on the potential political and strategic orientation of Lebanon; thus, relying on Iran and Syria to exercise their influence toward stabilizing an environment of security and peace within Lebanon.
General and Deputy Aoun had absorbed the various failures of other Christian Lebanese leaders for establishing a lasting stable political system that would save Lebanon of recurring civil wars. A unified Christian front in Lebanon is not enough to bringing peace and security: this fact, Michel Aoun experienced when he was appointed Prime Minister in 1988 and ended in his exile to France. The most striking recent experiment was the tenure of ex-President Emile Lahoud.
Lahoud intended to eradicate corruption in the State while maintaining strategic relations with Syria and supporting the Lebanese resistance in the south against Israel’s occupation. Lahoud failed in his attempts for reforms of the social and political system because he had no civilian political movement and had no previous communication with the deputies in the Parliament. Lahoud managed to press forward on the corruption front in the first 3 years until Syria realized that the reforms were going too far and driving its Lebanese political supporters to frantic seizures. The incarcerated officials indicted with corruption and stealing the treasury were released from prison and Rafic Hariri returned as Prime Minister to resume his service and real estate economy based on heavy borrowing.
As Syria was under pressure in 2005 to withdraw its troops then it decided to extend the tenure of Lahoud another 3 years. The UN resolution 1559 for Syria withdrawal, the Lebanese army to expand to the southern borders, and Hezbollah to turn over its heavy artillery to the army pointed to a dramatic clash which culminated in the assassination of Rafic Hariri.
External interventions bolstered the internal confessional forces to side track reforms and forced the Presidency into a defensive corner; thus, not only clipping any remnant of official power, but eliminating the role of the Presidency and the Christian necessity for a stable Lebanon among its religious affiliations.
What is the Third Republic and what is its strategy?
First, the new Republic will bolster the rights, duties, and responsibilities of the President of the Republic and reduce the exclusive privileges of the Prime Minister to administering several “black boxes” such as emergency funds, development and construction council, repatriation of Lebanese refugees’ box, and disaster box that should be returned to the relevant ministries. These reforms do not require any amendments to the Taef Constitution.
Second, the Third Republic wants to desist on reducing the economy of Lebanon to the service sector that it can no longer compete with newer and powerful centers in the region like Dubai, Cyprus, Turkey, Jordan, and Egypt. The economy has to revert to basics and develop on industrial and agricultural production, exploiting our water resources, managing better our electrical power generation, and expanding and modernizing our communication facilities. Health for all and education for all at affordable costs are priorities.
Third, the reduction of our heavy borrowing policy that reached over 60 billions dollars with the purpose of settling the Palestinians in Lebanon in return of canceling this mighty debt will be tackled in earnest. I lean to the possibility that if negotiations with the lending parties are not successful, then the new government will decree the cancellation of any lending that was politically motivated. I doubt that reactions would extend beyond the rhetorical recriminations because the case is strong that Lebanon had no collateral economical generation potentials for these generous lending. As a consequence, the Third Republic will put an end to any international policies attempts to reside the Palestinians in Lebanon.
Fourth, the Third Republic will relieve Hezbollah from the constant pressures of international plans targeted at coercing the disarmament of the resistance by coordinate activities with non-patriotic governments that are wiling to cohabitate with the enemy Israel. This united front will force Israel to desist from any further incursions into Lebanon.
Fifth, the Third Republic will move ahead with an alternative election law based on proportionality and revisiting laws that deny equality between genders and secular national civil status laws.
Sixth, the Third Republic will demand joint negotiations with Syria relative peace agreements with Israel after recapturing the Shebaa Farms and the Hills of Kfarshouba.
The first step in the strategy of Michel Aoun was for the Christians to regain confidence and stand up to their responsibilities and acknowledging that Israel is the enemy. This was done.
The second step was an alliance with Hezbollah which defeated many plans to resurrect the specter of the civil war.
The third step was direct contacts with regional power States, since the Tayyar represents the largest Christian Parliamentary bloc, and opening channels of communications and entente.
The fourth step is wining the majority seats in the Parliament. Done, with the opposition gaining the power.
Note 1: Lebanon Parliament was expanded in 1992 to include 128 deputies; 64 Christians and 64 Moslems. The election in June 7 is calling on 3, 260,000 voters to participate and most probably more than 50% will effectively vote. Among the eligible voters of over 21 years of age 888,000 are Moslem Shiaas (27 deputies in total), 874,000 Moslem Sunnis (27 deputies), 698,000 Christian Maronites (34 deputies), 243,000 Christian Greek Orthodox (concentrated in the districts of Ashrafieh and Koura), 186, 000 Moslem Druze (concentrated in the districts of Chouf, Aley, and Hasbaya), 163, 000 Greek Catholics, and dozen of other Christian minorities and Armenians (concentrated in Ashrafieh, Burj Hammoud, and Anjar). The Moslem Alawis of about 27,000 are entitled to 2 deputies.
In the previous election of 2005, the Tayyar of Michel Aoun without the support of any alliances managed to secure 20 Christian deputies representing 70% of the Christian voters but the Lebanese political system denied this large bloc any governmental representation for 4 years until the Dawha agreement. The law of this election that correspond to the law of 1960 divides Lebanon into 26 districts called “Kada2” and most of the Christians candidates do not have to rely on Moslem voters for their election. With the alliance of the “Marada Party” of Suleiman Frangieh in Zghorta, Betroun, and Koura the Tayyar can secure additional 8 deputies. With the alliance of the Hezbollah the Tayyar can add 3 deputies in the district of B3abda and two more in Jezzine. Thus, if the Tayyar of Michel Aoun sustains the previous election victory then he should expect no less than 27 deputies and over 40 Christian deputies allied to the Tayyar or one third of the Parliament. If we add to this Christian bloc the deputies of Hezbollah and AMAL (over 24 deputies) and the Syrian National Social Party (about 4 deputies) and the Druze and Sunni deputies then the opposition will clearly win the majority of the Parliament. Thus the Prime Minister will be selected from the opposition and most of the key ministerial posts would revert to the opposition along with a reshuffling of the main first order administrative officials.
The Tayyar is taking the shape of a popular revolution intended to defeating the privileges of the feudal, caste, confessional, and monopolist system. It has no alternative but to follow the legitimate democratic route under this complex social diversity.
Note 2: As I mentioned in another post, if the Christians do not emerge in this election with a unified and powerful centralized bloc then the chances are that a system based on splitting power among Shiaa, Sunni, and Christians (muthalateh) would be inevitable, even at the expense of a short civil war. Most probably the civil war would start between Shiaas and Sunnis but will quickly degenerate to fighting between Christians and Sunnis because the Shiaas have already their cantons. This alternative system would be legitimate demographically and the Christian would contend with third of the administration and political power offices.
Note 3: The Tayyar has a TV channel and a blog; soon it will establish a radio channel but I am under the impression that, excluding the members of the Tayyar, the supporters are on the one way communication receiving end. The brochure of the program of the Tayyar has no phone numbers, no email addresses and no central mailing address. I once sent a hand written letter to Deputy Ibrahim Kanaan through two intermediaries of the Tayyar; obviously, I never received a reply.
