❊ The Future Movement and Criticizing Saudi Arabia

Mustapha Allouch:

What I said about Saudi Arabia is part of the internal discussions that are taking place within the party. [the Future Movement] can’t be with and against freedom at the same time. This is a general matter and is not bound by countries’ borders.

This is a problem with all parties in Lebanon. March 8’s clamor for freedom stops at the gates of Syria and Iran. March 14 tries to have a publicly more nuanced stance, but you can hardly find people like Mr. Allouch who are brave enough to criticize the lack of freedom in Saudi Arabia.

I go way back with the Future Movement (FM) in sympathy, since the heydays of Hariri the father. But my perception of the party came to a crushing fall when that huge banner of the Saudi king was unfurled as the backdrop for Mr. Saad Al Hariri’s speech. Blame my stubborn Lebanese pride, I don’t like it when large photos of a foreign leader is staring at me, and I like it even less when I’m accused of servitude to that leader and what he stands for because I voted for Mr. Hariri’s list.

I’m aware of the many benefits Lebanon gets from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries in general (employment for our engineers and hoteliers, reserve funds for our banks, money from their tourists, diplomatic support powered by oil leverage), but I don’t want that to come with strings attached. Why can’t I find in the FM’s media anything about the unfairness of living in Saudi Arabia as a woman? Isn’t that in line with the values of progress and equality that the FM is supposed to be promoting?

Believe it or not, this can change.

Here’s the problem: Regional powers are jockeying for influence in Lebanon, so they sponsor various political players. Those players in return censor from their media anything that can be seen as a criticism of their sponsors.

But if you really think of it, they don’t have to do that. The Lebanese parties do have leverage over their sponsors. They want us as much as we want them. Here’s how Pierre Tristam put it:

One thing to remember about Hezbollah in particular and the Lebanese in general: they may have sponsors, but they drive those sponsors nuts, the way Israel can drive the United States nuts, because sponsorship seldom means control.

The Saudis don’t support us because they want us to be nice to them. The same goes with Iran, Syria and the US. They sponsor us because they are looking for influence. We are really under no obligations to compromise our declared principles of democracy and free speech.

If the Lebanese parties and their media came together and decided to stop self censoring, nothing will change in the power balance. Absolutely nothing. Instead, what will be gained is a freer discussion about regional issues, and most importantly, consistency and harmony in our own minds. Isn’t that worth a shot?

As for Mr. Allouch, if he was ejected from the FM for daring to criticize Saudi Arabia, I will officially and publicly turn against the party.