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.
Hello, my name is Mustapha and I've been blogging about Lebanese society, business and politics since February 2005.
No no no.. I don’t think there will be any drifting between FPM and the Socialists… I think another quadrite agreement “tafehom robe3i” will be/is in the making and Mr. Jumblatt is only playing nice… Both sides will need such an agreement. True Mar14 gained a lot in the elections 4 years ago, but Mar8 gained a housespeaker who shut the parliament for a year and a half!! They’ll both need such an agreement… Wonder how tayyar, LF, Phalangists, and the rest of Mar8′s Syrian scum will play in the agreement!
Tarek,
Lebanese Forces (LF) and the Kataeeb are part of March 14.
I think that Hariri is trying to consolidate the Sunnis by adding people outside the Future Movement who have strong Beiruti support. Example, Taman Salam.
Ghenwa Jalloul was also as per rumors (and common sense) one of rafik mistresses…may be walid jumblatt chebek 3al nazek now…sounds a bit aounie but could be right…
I agree with walid joumblatt that what ghenwa said was very very stupid even more than what kabbarra said (which wasn’t very delicate but didn’t deserve a big deal).
HOWEVER that idiot has no right whatsoever to give lessons in tolerance to anyone of us under the pretext that he is now wafic safa good friend. Isn’t he the one who was talking about divorce, impossible cohabitation and “nehro2 el akhdar wal yebess”?? and now he’s Mr peace and love, wala hek wala hek…
What I believe is that WJ really has switched sides at least in terms of confrontation with hezbzbélé. He is still m14 in a way as he’s keeping his anti-syrian stances most probably because the assad family refused forgiving him and because he can’t alllow himself a total shift that would make him loose support.
WJ bet is that the alliance between syria and iran will be broken and that the west will offer syria more influence in leb as a thank you guest. This doesn’t suit him…he would prefer or feels condemned to be an ally to HA against syria and the west and to get there he is now B.jobbing HA on a daily basis. The refusal of kahwaji or the attacks on kabbara and jalloul are simply done for the account of HA…wait and see, more of this style to come…sad…
yeeaaaaaaaaaaahh!
hooray for political cannibalism!
cheeeeeeeeeeaaaaarrrrrr!
hopefuly the eaters’ bloody cannibalist teeth will chew ever so savagely and monterously that it chews itself out and the eater gets chewed up in the process.
yeeaaaaaaaaaaahh!
hooray for political cannibalism!
To me, this woman manifests everything that I abominate and execrate about current ‘Lebanonese’ right wing personalities. She’s definitely the apotheosis of ‘Lebanonese’ egotistical euphemism, jingoist fanaticism, ostentatious hubris, sectarian narcissism, and ostensible pretentiousness.
to me, leba-non-sect epitomises all aspects lebanonese, espiciallly the overabundance of post-prolific vocabularist speech capsulated in sophomoric academic supercalafrajalistic expialadotiousnist parallelogramic grammar garnished with a supermanistic sense of ones own flippin dictionary pages. good joab.
and the woman is only a sil3a anyway.