** 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.
Hello, my name is Mustapha and I've been blogging about Lebanese society, business and politics since February 2005.
I think your website should contain more information about Tajaddod’s political ideas. The extract from the DRM charter in the About Us section could be applied to pretty much any democratic political party in the world. It would be interesting to have bullet point list of how you would like to achieve those goals in Lebanon. The DRM page obviously has all that info but it is sunk inside long essays and texts and makes it difficult to understand exactly what the party stands for. You say the party is for a secular democracy, but that only shows up in some blog posts, it should be clear and displayed in the About Us section. Just my 2 cents
“…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”.
Let me guess; no one from the Shi’i sect within Tajaddod’s candidates…
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Amir,
To be honest, I don’t know if any of the five candidates where Shi’i or not, nor have I ever asked myself that question…
But you can be sure that there are many shiites who have our same dream.
Let’s not label a whole sect because of one party.
Regards,
Nadim
Burger,
I agree. We’re currently working on a short booklet that is a lot like what you described. Be sure to check back now and then.
Nadim,
Good stuff, in spite of all the desperation in the current political life in Lebanon, I am sure that one day we will have a secular and democratic state. Seeing a secular party in Lebanon win some seats in the future population is very encouraging. Most importantly, don’t let the reality of the current situation dissuade you of that dream. It takes time and war for people to make the switch from a sectarian and tribal mentality to a nationalistic one. Patience and persistence are of the essence.
I’ll check back on your website. Good luck.
First, AUB is not really representative of the Lebanese society. Students are usually wealthy.
On the other hand, when you say you have chosen democracy and progress, do you mean that the others want a dictatorship? Please, I kindly ask you not to use those fashionable words to make you cause much human than theirs.
Thank you and congratulations for elections.