Let Reason Prevail
Let prejudice and local interest yield to reason. Let us look to our national character and things beyond the present period.” George Washington
The victories that the Lebanese opposition has achieved are momentous. The withdrawal of Syrian troops, the resignation of the Syrian appointed government, and the removal of the security chiefs were but a few of the aspirations of the Lebanese people. These historic events would not have been possible without the support of the US government and international community and for this the Lebanese people both inside and outside the country will be forever grateful. However, many more milestones need to be reached before an empowered and capable Lebanese nation, proud of its heritage and modern in its structure will emerge. The Lebanese people will certainly encounter many roadblocks on their journey of reestablishing democracy and renewal.
The insistence by the Syrian-appointed speaker of the parliament, Mr. Nabih Berri, on imposing the Syrian designed electoral law of 2000 is one such roadblock. The Council of Lebanese American Organizations (CLAO) strongly condemns such an action, as it is undemocratic in form and substance. By its very nature, this law can only result in a parliament that does not represent the people and promotes political feudalism. It was designed by Syria’s former viceroy in Lebanon to recycle and re-empower its handpicked allies even without the presence of their military and security apparatus. Such is the irony of this law, which can only result in giving the Syrians the last laugh.
If faced with the choice of elections with a flawed law or elections delayed for few weeks, CLAO strongly recommends the latter option. Getting it right is infinitely more important than being on schedule. True grassroots representation in a broad social spectrum across all sectarian lines must be respected and ought to be considered an unquestionable priority over deadlines. For Mr. Berri to blame the US and France for his decision to stick to the scheduled dates while admitting that the 2000 law is unfair, is unacceptable and insulting to democratic processes.
The electoral law of 2000 is designed to appoint and certainly not to elect the members of the Lebanese parliament. Given that the current Lebanese government’s policy is to impose such an electoral law and since CLAO considers the law inherently flawed and manifestly unjust it believes the act of monitoring the elections would not only be a waste of time, but would provide a sense of legitimatization of the process and its results. Hence, CLAO hereby rescinds its previously announced plans to participate in monitoring the election proceedings.
The issue of electoral gerrymandering is a familiar and controversial one to the American people even when implemented for noble purposes, as was recently the case in the 12th Congressional District of North Carolina, which resulted in the first black man being elected to Congress from that state in 100 years. But imagine how would the American people react to the arbitrary reversal of such a law e.g., the redistricting of established voting districts (designed to ensure minority participation) mere weeks before an election, such as is now the case in Lebanon? Such a controversial act would cause a political firestorm, be denounced as undemocratic and find a fast path to the US Supreme Court. No modern-day US administration would support such a situation in the US, so why should this one give its tacit support to it in Lebanon? A large proportion of these soon-to-be disenfranchised voters come from the ranks of Lebanon’s pro-democratic movement, which has been dubbed the “Cedar Revolution”. Their peaceful demonstrations regularly turned out crowds that numbered in the hundreds of thousands and at one point 1.5 million. This is unprecedented for Lebanon and for the entire Middle East. They had been hopeful for US support of their democratic ideals, particularly in light of the Bush administration’s proclamations on the spread of democracy in the Middle East and especially since the President himself has often referred to them as validation of the wisdom of this US policy direction. Isn’t it in US national interests to see such people provided the opportunity for democratic representation? Isn’t this the type of democratic groundswell that the US had hoped to engender? CLAO thinks so, and it appeals to the US administration to reconsider its position on this matter and support a delay of the election and an overturning of this unfair law. These people should not be left to feel that they have been used like a convenient prop or that they are the victims of some unknown and unspoken political agenda.
CLAO believes that true democracy could only be established with an electoral law that provides a just and fair process to allow a true representation of the people. The 2000 electoral law negates the will of the majority of the Lebanese and must be replaced. That is the reasonable course of action.
Since 1989 CLAO’s mission has been to work to further the cause of freedom and sovereignty for Lebanon and act to promote ties of friendship and cooperation between the United States and Lebanon based on the principles of democracy and human rights. We are resolute in our mission and in our belief that the US can always be counted on to champion these revered causes. We urge the US administration to act expeditiously and resolutely while there is still time.
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