Adonis Diaries

What socio-political reforms for Lebanon? (Part 3, December 2, 2008)

 Any serious reforms in Lebanon have to be snatched through a grass root movement, working for the long haul.  With the failure of the secular political parties to making any headway, after over 75 years of their foundation, it is paramount that a new secular movement be created under fundamental principals.

Theoretically, we should discriminate among leaders, political and social; we should differentiate among the leader who is secular at heart but act confessional; the leader who is secular at heart but talks confessional; and the leader who is confessional at heart but talks secular.  The bottom line is that all our leaders never dared submit a secular law to the Parliament or tried to form a coalition of secular parties and associations.

The fundamental basis for this movement is to consider the common denominators that the new generations, in most religious castes, are ready to agree with.  The leading value is social and political equitableness, which is the under current of all the philosophical and moral concepts of equality, freedom, liberty, democracy, justice, security and the rest.  Citizens want to be listened to seriously and for their opinions to be considered at their just values after deep reflection and investment in time and energy.

 First of all, the new movement has to declare its loyalty to the recognized State of Lebanon by the United Nations.  This movement should not be used as a platform for discussions on whether Lebanon is a Nation or not a nation or what are the basis for being labeled, Phoenician, Syrian, Arab, Moslem, or the dozen other exotic sources for an exclusive and elusive identity.  Tiny Lebanon is one of over 170 States recognized by the UN that has no basis to be a nation in population or land sizes.

The notion of a nation is real and will still exist for years to come.  I suggest that the study of our nationality be done in study groups of individuals who are interested enough to read, invest time and energy to discuss and dialogue and analyze.  Failure to instituting serious study groups, it is tantamount to return to our current states of affairs of dogmatism and infantile demagoguery.

 Second, the movement should recognize plainly and bluntly the reality of our current socio-political system, analyze it clearly and then never bring that subject again.  The new movement should not be used as promotional medium for the confessional parties to inculcate our religious caste system, through repetition, into our psychic. Consequently, the members of the new movement are not to even indulge public challenges based on caste and confessional platforms or through the audio-visual communication media.  To the general public, we may confidently say that we studied the system, we acknowledged its shortcoming, we set it behind us, and we resumed the struggle according to programs and plans.

Confessionalism, feudalism, sectarianism and all the “isms” will be around for many years.  Approaching and confronting these realities should be done under serious study groups.

 Third, the members are Lebanese who are striving for a modern civil society and central civil status register and working to instituting civil marriage laws and inheritance programs.  Any program that tends to open up the communication lines among castes is good enough to start with.  Any program that facilitates inner trade and association is good enough for a start.