Fairness in the tribunal and injustice in the elections.

Friday, Mar 6 2009

Finally, the tribunal for Lebanon has begun in The Hague to bring to justice the criminals who assassinated the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and all those who perished with him, as well as all the victims who followed afterwards.

The National Dialogue Party welcomes this step as, like all the Lebanese people, we want to know the truth about the crimes which have set the country alight over the past four years time. We also need to limit, once and for all, the disgraceful abuse of the blood of the late Prime Minister in driving the country and its fate.

The international tribunal to investigate this crime was initially agreed upon at a parliamentary dialogue table led by the Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri. It was also part of the ministerial declaration of the present government as well as of the previous government, and was adopted as a United Nations Security Council resolution. Despite this, it was still used for internal political extortion on the one hand, and as a chip in international bargaining on the other, to the extent that justice risked being lost amidst the rises and falls of international politics which are dictated by the interests of nations. Today, after the international tribunal in The Hague has been convened, we urge everyone to stop using this crime to promote division amongst the Lebanese people. This tribunal bears no relation to Lebanon's sovereignty, though we must consider that the fragile judicial situation in Lebanon, including its internationalization, calls for thinking about the true sovereignty of Lebanon and its fragility. The tribunal however, is of an international nature and as the Prosecutor General, Daniel Belmar, stated, it was convened due to a political decision. This means that politics and the interests of nations were a consideration in the creation of this tribunal and as such, the final result will undoubtedly be affected by international politics, whether positive or negative, and with all its uncertainties and surprises.

As for Lebanon itself, we have witnessed, over the past four years, a sickening abuse of this crime, as it has been used for political opportunism. Far from justice being sought for the bloodshed, it has been used in power-grabbing schemes and attempts to take control of the country's resources, as well as attempts to hold undemocratic parliamentary elections under an electoral law going back to Ghazi Kanaan and his cronies, with a view to establishing a Quadruple Alliance. The elections of 2005 served to separate the ministers into the sides at odds with one another, the bitter conflict of which spilled out on to the streets. This then resulted in the Doha agreement for sharing power within which the interests of both sides would be contained and which would allow for the continuation of the policies which have caused so much trouble for the Lebanese people. And what did the national unity government do after the Doha agreement legalized its creation and what did it achieve?

In this issue, we can only express our regret at the policy of buying time which is current in Cabinet, for this government - since its inception - has delayed the issues pertinent to the Lebanese people from one session to the next without taking any responsibility for the total collapse of the country, its standard of living and the terrible state of the economy. The electoral coalitions are the only fragments which remain of the Doha agreement, while many try to sabotage President Suleiman's rule as though the Doha agreement was only for a second Beirut and to close the road in front of democracy. Issues such as the balancing of the Cabinet should not be an arena for competition, particularly as, as we have said in the past and repeat today, the solution lies in referring to the constitution. Various issues, such as the tapping of the phone lines of the Lebanese people and the budgets have been opened. We at the National Dialogue Party have emphasized the importance of dealing with the issue of the budgets which are often used as prizes to keep politicians happy, and of placing them under parliamentary surveillance. We also need to put to work other methods of surveillance, as such methods can work to contain the squandering and corruption rife in the country, and as such can help to limit debt, even if such methods are inherited the Taef agreement period. There has been serious misadministration of the economy and a reliance on a policy of borrowing without keeping account or putting in place any methods of surveillance.

The real crisis is not any particular issue which is being ignored due to the lack of an independent judicial system as well as the domination of personal agendas. A hot topic today will be forgotten by tomorrow because the need to create complications, even by means of breaking the law, has become a priority for those who are currently running the country.

What has the government done to deal with the economic crisis in the country, the increase of prices, inflation and unemployment, especially after the global financial crisis that has led to a return of the youth from the Gulf and in particular the UAE? All these issues cannot be ignored by the Shiites, Sunnis, Maronites, or any Lebanese citizen for that matter, regardless of religion. The financial crisis is being temporarily put to one side by political spending on potential voters, although technically banned by law, until June whereby a true economic meltdown is expected. This crisis will be compounded by the astronomical public debt in excess of USD 50 billion and the debt servicing charges, budgeted at LL 6400 billion in the 2009 budget.

The real reason behind the mobilization of the public that is being currently practiced is due to the fact that candidates running in the elections do not have real political agendas. The issues that are being used as electoral platforms have no bearing on reality, the needs of the people or the economy. It is also our belief that the various skirmishes we have seen across the nation are a result of some candidates sowing the seeds of civil conflict. Who guarantees the safety of Lebanon and the Lebanese if political practices remain uncontrolled by the law and the Constitution?

In short, we urge the Lebanese citizen not to sell himself, his future and that of his children to a political class that is more than willing to keep feuds alive and security unstable in order to stay in power. We also call on the civil society, unions and NGOs to contribute their desperately needed input.

The sights of the Lebanese are set on uncovering the truth. Meanwhile the upcoming elections, based on an unfair electoral law, are smothering us in unbearable darkness even though fairness in parliamentary elections is the only guarantee for justice and equality amongst the people.