“Hezbollah and Aoun fans will be happy that he’ll fight corruption, March 14 will be happy that he won’t stand in the way of development, and the Arabs will be happy that stability will reign.”

Are you kidding me? You are saying that if he cuts off all the “ghost” employees of EDL and other HA “institutions” that HA will be happy? Or if he asks Aoun on what he did with $40 or so million funds that are rumoured to have disappeared with him in his French Submarine Or does an audit on how Aoun can live so grandoisely in Rabieh Or on how Aoun can afford to come up with (maybe $50 million US dollars) funds to start OTV??

Come on now Mus. Cut it out. He’ll gerimander to every asshole in the political system so that can reap his rewards!!!
Stop having futuristic utopian dreams. Until there’s a fundamental change in the way the country is run…More of the same. Thank you!!

Hey Danny,

I did write: “Hezbollah and Aoun fans“. Corruption is their sound bite after all, and even if March 8 politicians are corrupt, you hear more “corruption” coming out of the mouths of Hezbollah and Aoun than out of Hariri and Geagea..

In the days of Hariri government, Najah Wakim held irrefutable proof that Hariri, Saniora, Jumblatt and their followers were siphoning not millions but billions of dollars out of the government’s pockets.

Hariri would not even try to explain to the Lebanese people what the hell was happening, he would simply walk out of the chamber when Najah Wakim would speak.

Danny, before throwing accusations left and right, make sure you’re not a target yourself.

Yalli fi khachbé bi 3ayno ma bi2oul enno fi aché bi 3eyn el nes

Sami,

Najah Wakim and irrefutable proof?? Please, if anyone has any concrete evidence, I am sure HA will be happy along with Orangebutt to publish it. these are not accusations. Some are rumours and some are facts(EDL). I am all for a total transparency (including all politicians) my friend. It seems you are the selective one. Sorry to have ruffled your sensitive feathers.WOW!!!

Corruption has been the rally cry of all politicians throughout time but when push comes to shove … they want their piece of the pie and rarely is anything done. The “finger” always points elsewhere.

I want to know how/IF Suleiman made any concrete efforts to remove those in the Army working for Syria in the past two years. Did he?

Talk is cheap - show me some action.

Accountability, strengthening the institutions and transparency are bandied by every elected (and non-elected) official in the history of mankind. As some said, talk is cheap.

Having said that, I’ll answer Mustapha’s rhetorical question of

“The question is, how can institutional work, transparency and accountability deal with the International Tribunal, Hezbollah’s weapons, the election law, the Lebanese abroad, the Lebanese in Syrian prisons and the Lebanese who escaped to Israel?

Well, in theory, the answer IS the state’s institutions, the rule of law, accountability, and transparency. So in that respect, Suleiman has got it right. But as I said already, talk is cheap. It remains to be seen if he will indeed follow that course once elected, or - like many politicians before him - forget all about his promises.

Sami, if anyone has irrefutable evidence then they should presented, period. Your beloved Aoun was haunting Jumblatt with charges of embezzlements from the Ministry of the Displaced since his arrival in Lebanon, and he even held a press conference to ‘reveal his documents’ and expose Jumblatt, it turned out he had nothing, just empty rhetoric..

Let’s not forget about the Ministry of Energy and why Berri & HA are so keen on holding on to it - rumors have it that billions of US$ were ‘appropriated’ by Amal & HA throughout the 90s.

What about all the illegal buildings in Dahia and south Beirut, some even built on Christian private properties courtesy of the head mafia of them all Berri.

Look, every caring Lebanese citizen wants to see an end to corruption but it’s hypocrisy for M8 leaders to claim the high ground and label only M14 as corrupt.

They are all corrupt. For the last 30 years those who are not corrupt or those who try to mend their ways are ‘martyred’ very quickly. If Suleiman tries anything progressive like fight corruption and enforce transparency he will be eliminated with the approval of the same people who now champion his candidacy.

Lets stop throwing accusations here and there,and lets only wish that Suleiman opens the big file of corruption….and he who is guilty,be it Hariri,Hizbollah,Aoun,Geagea or Brigitte Bardot,be pointed and judged……
And first of all if any of our politicians even if we are “fans” of him as Mustapha puts it,is proven guilty,lets stop protecting him because he’s sunni,maronite chiaa,8 march,14 march or chaka zulu because we are so….
lets stop being tribal……..

I don’t think Mr. Souleiman can govern. There are red lines that he cannot approach. One of which, the infamous, the holy, the one and only, MR. “Divine Victory”, Hassouna……

If HizbIran’s weapons issue cannot be dealt with, then we will not have a solution.

As for the corruption, if the file is open, then we will know how Syria’s economy flourished during the 90s. We have to open all the files. One of which, how a poor general A.K.A “Oranguttan” can support himself in France for the last 15 years? From where did he get his million$$$

I like also to open the files for Mr. Berri A.K.A “The Mailbox” and his wife with respect to every single contract in the south.

I hope he will be able to govern. But this is done assuming that Syria and its dogs allowed him to be the president. Which I doubt it will happen.

I wanted to post a note about how urgently we need to settle our trivial political bickering and start thinking of the future and about how to modernise our institutions, renovate our cities and educate our young generations.

But then, I take a look at the posts (not just on beirutspring, but everywhere else where two Lebanese or more meet) and at how narrow minded our arguments have become, and it’s really depressing. No one discusses science or arts or fashion or music or business or education, just stupid repetitions of our favorite football team-like political parties.

One day, we’ll all wake up (probably in another country) and we’ll have to admit the fact that we are the most retarded of nations, regionally and internationally, for wasting thirty good years for the sake of God and his representatives on earth from all sects.

ZH,

Very well said. I share the same sentiment. Everytime I log on to any of these Lebanese blogs, trying to discuss a bigger picture, I’m amazed at how narrow-minded we all are. All I see is infantile bickering. That’s why I say over and over “We get exactly what we deserve.”. Until we, as a people, grow up and join the ranks of adulthood, I don’t expect any of our neighbours to stop treating us like children. That’s exactly what we are.

Z.H.

You are right to some degree. however, we are trying to exchange views of how democracy, transparency and laws can govern a civil society. I’m afraid you are wrong to disregard the excellent viewpoints here…I do not know what other blogs you have “visited”…
Criticism without offering alternatives is hollow!!

ZH, excuse me for being such a retard for not discussing art, science or good recipes with you, but maybe you’re hanging around the wrong blog my friend.

For I think what our country is facing is an existential threat from external enemies and compatriots who lost their ways. Such as the thugs in Syria who are hell-bound on annexing it, or the Iranians with their so-called ‘welayt el-fahki’ who even refuse to acknowledge Lebanon’s secular diversity and are set on making Lebanon a satellite state for some ayatolla..

These blogs (many thanks to their hosts) provide an outlet for those of us living abroad who are helplessly watching the disintegration of our country and need to vent and connect with similarly concerned Lebanese.

May I suggest some sites like aljaras.com for discussing some of the topics you mentioned ;)

cheers.

Hey Mustafa, not every Lebanese wants him as presiedent. Mark my words, and I have been saying this from the start. Suleiman will be the remembered as an even bigger Syrian puppet than Lahoud ever was. Havent we learned from past mistake that you can just take any idiot in an army suit and put him on the cursed seat? Is it a coincidence that Suleiman states during Nahr El Bared scuffle that Syria has nothing to do with Fath Al Islam and that on the contrary it is helping the Leb army by sending amunition, and when all was over (amidst a very tight grip on the camp area) Shaker Al absi and 20 of his men evade and are now (we all know) in Syria?
Wake up you M14 traitors and ELECT a president with a 50+1.
Wake up my fellow Lebanese and take this kind of debate onto TV screens and even the streets if need be. Lebanon is gasping for its last breaths of air, and we are helping in killing it.

Jay and Others,

If you read most of Mus’ posts in the last twelve months, I’m sure you’ll find a comment of mine in most of them. Do you know why? It’s because it is one of the few spaces where I find people like me, frustrated and desperate for change.

However, I’m even more frustrated about just how chauvinistic people are on both ends of the political spectrum in Lebanon. If you rewind your memory by reading Mustapha’s excellent summary of last year’s events, you’ll agree that the whole ‘Story’ in unfolding in a surreal way. We’ve literally reached a political impasse and no one is even shy about it.

Some Like East, others Like West… Actually, some others think they’re marching West while they’re moving East in reverse and the opposite also holds true in certain cases, to a certain degree.

So please, don’t lecture me on how narrow-minded we as Lebanese are as a whole. We have such a grand scheme on both sides of the road HOWEVER, the implementation of it has to wait until one of us finishes the other. Really surreal.

Think about it.

good point Mustapha.