The good news: The Lebanese all over the world can vote using nothing but their passports or I.D. cards. No need for those troublesome voting cards anymore.
The bad news: This will take effect in 2013.
Monthly Archives: September 2008
The Table That Is No Longer Round
The shape of the new hiwar (dialogue) table symbolizes the difference between the first, ill-fated hiwar and the one that will start tomorrow.
So how different is a rectangular table from a round one? Very different.
A round-table is an egalitarian setting where those who are taking place are given equal importance. Depending on your point of view, the non-polar arrangement can either symbolize equality or an insolvable gridlock.
A rectangular table on the other hand, like the one that will be used tomorrow, is a polar setting in which two parties face each other, and a judge –in this case the President– chairs and arbitrates their exchange.
In form at least, tomorrow’s non-round table will be a small victory for those who seek the supremacy of the state, and a setback for those who thrive on anarchy and gridlock.
A Foreign Journalist's Blunt Account
British Journalist comes to Lebanon and chronicles his day-by-day impressions. Unvarnished, almost comedic impressions of the coutry and its people ensue.
Here is one of my favorite paragraphs, from his visit to the LF.
We park outside the local LF headquarters. On top of the buildings are two immense crosses. There is an urgency to Christianity here; I feel as if Christ died a few weeks ago and the word is spreading.
“This is the border.” A tattooed man guarding the door points to the end of the street. A giant wall painting of Nabih Berry, the Shia speaker of Parliament and an ally of Hizbullah, stares back at me. We can hear the call to prayer. “There are the Shia.”
[..]
Lebanese food is almost never bad, but the conversation makes for a strange meal. At one moment my companion is laughing about how he doesn’t like the dirty, stupid, smelly Shia Muslims who live over the road. Ten minutes later he is earnestly telling me how he has many good friends among them and it’s only the leadership he doesn’t like.
He begins what seems like a rant against Israel, which ends up with him announcing his respect for the Israeli army and how he expects Israeli troops to be operating in Beirut very shortly. His frequent toilet breaks allow me to gather my thoughts. It seems the long-standing identity conflict of the Lebanese Christians continue in the minds of even the most committed LF supporters. Then he turns the conversation turns to that traveller’s classic: “Don’t you think my country has the best girls?”
Read the entire thing..
The Jumblat-Jalloul Spat. House Cleaning?
The high-profile criticism of M.P. Ghenwa Jalloul by Mr. Jumblat could be the beginning of an electoral purge by the Future Movement.
Back in the days of Hariri the father, a young woman who taught Computer Sciences in the American University of Beirut asked for a meeting with “Sheikh Rafik”. They had never met her before, but he granted her the meeting.” Hi, my name is Ghenwa Jalloul”, the woman told him. “I just want to tell you that I’m a big admirer of yours, and this is my (impressive) CV. I would like to help”.
Impressed by her boldness, seeing in her an embodiment of his vision of Lebanon and eager to flex his political muscles, Mr. Hariri surprised everyone and put the unknown woman in his electoral list in Beirut. Mrs. Jalloul became an M.P. since then, but could this be about to change?
Years later, Hariri’s son Saad is facing a much trickier electoral landscape than his father’s. He must build his alliances wisely and chose his MPs very carefully. In today’s Lebanon, people like Ghenwa Jalloul who are loyal but lack independent support can prove to be liabilities. The days where his father could just plant anyone he likes seem so far away. Yet, unlike say Dr. Ghattas Koury, the popular lady M.P. could prove tricky to put aside.
Enter Mr. Jumblat, who out of the blue yesterday decided to deliver a stinging public criticism of Mrs. Jalloul, for simple electoral rhetoric that no one should take seriously. Significantly, the Future Movement did not rush to defend her, and Mrs. Jalloul herself remained mum.
The question is: Is Mr. Jumblat freelancing and aiming for her replacement seat? Or is he simply doing Mr. Hariri’s dirty work? Only time can tell, but it is safe to say that we can expect more acts of political “cannibalism” from now until the elections.
Ramadan Lethargy…
I just found out that fasting and boring politics are not the blogger’s best friends.
It must be the sugar. Or maybe the caffeine. Or perhaps the slow news. But for some reason these days, I am not finding the energy to pounce on lebanese news items and toy around with them in this blog as frequently as you’re used to.
Instead, for now, I will use this space to wish you all a fruitful – and with any luck energetic- Ramadan.
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