Daily Archives: January 12, 2008

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AUB Elections 2008

** Note: If you’re looking for the results of AUB’s election, please check this article **

This is a guest post from Nadim, a member of the Tajaddod Youth group, a March 14 youth movement that got 4 seats in the latest AUB elections. You can all visit the Tajaddod Youth’s blog at tajaddod-youth.com .

The mere fact that the youth got to express its opinion in this election is a victory. For months the opposition had successfully blocked our elected representatives in parliament from doing the same.

The American University of Beirut can be considered a microcosm of Lebanese society and the results of this latest poll couldn’t have been more conclusive: The Lebanese youth has reasserted its attachment to democracy, independence and progress.

For us Tajaddod Youth, this is the first time we participate in university elections since the foundation of the youth section of the Democratic Renewal Movement (DRM) in march of 2007. And although in today’s Lebanon it is hard to market a movement that is neither sectarian nor populist, we have achieved an outstanding result with four of our five candidates being elected to the AUB Student Representative Council.

Some people call us dreamers or idealists, but apparently we are not the only ones who believe that our country has a future as a truly democratic, secular and modern republic.

This election is more than a victory for us, it has renewed our hope that one day we will achieve these dreams.

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Fairouz Should Go To Damascus

Politicians who are asking the Lebanese singer Fairouz not to sing in Damascus should be ashamed of themselves.

Today, PSP’s Akram Shehayyeb publicly asked famous Lebanese singer Fairouz not to go to Damascus to perform in a theatrical production, Sahh el nom, which will be part of the cultural events marking the selection of Damascus as the cultural capital of the Arab world in 2008.

The anti-Syrian MP’s argument that the Lebanese diva should not perform in front of Lebanon’s “jailers” is embarrassingly nonsensical.

The fact that Syria’s ruling regime is reprehensible is no excuse for us to indulge in petty, childish and ultimately backfiring stances. What cause is Mr. Shehayyeb serving by punishing a people for their ruler’s choices?

Mr. Shehayyeb’s posturing doesn’t even make political sense; why risk losing a Lebanese symbol like Fairouz to the pro-Syrian camp, and paint the March 14 movement in fascist colors?

Mr. Shuhayyeb bordered on racism when he said that “Damascus being named as the new Arab cultural capital for 2008 is a total masquerade”. Syrian cultural production has been particularly prolific this year (think beb el hara), and Syrian artists deserve all the praise they should get. That includes sending Fairouz to sing for them.