We are all in the same boat and sinking imminently

The Lebanese people feel as if they have been left to face their fate; no one is making any decisions regarding their security and lives. No one is defending them and it is as if they are living in a non-state in light of the vacuum at the top of the power pyramid, i.e. the position of the president of the republic, and a chaos in the other state institutions which have all lost their true role. This vacuum grows deeper by the day, not only due to the vacancy of the institutions, but also due to the departure of the senior figures that influenced national culture with their wisdom during a time of intolerance and prejudice. The latest of these figures is the intellectual and great thinking Manh El-Solh, who we lost today; a moderate voice who spoke out against sectarianism, doctrinarism, and division ideas.

The position of president is vacant and a solution is not on the horizon due to the blind clinging to the position, which is on the verge of being toppled. In addition to this, the parliament is unable to elect a president due to the sharp divisions amongst its ranks which is also disrupting its legislative role, after the Taif Agreement cancelled its monitoring role. As for the government, it is in shambles, but I will not attack it, as some people do because its composition and formation doesn’t help it go farther than it already is. The division of the various portfolios breaks the government into several parties with conflicting interests, as was the case during a session held last Thursday, when all the contentious issues, which were most likely contentious due to various interests, were postponed. Due to the absence of the president, the legal status of these issues indicates they will be suspended.

What concerns us more than all of this is that fear that has taken over the lives of the Lebanese people. The issue of the borders shared with Syria worries them in the north, Beqaa, and in the south and there are no agreements over the solution for this. This is due to the fact that the borders with Syria are not demarked and due to the current inability to control these borders which are open to Lebanese and Syrian fundamentalist parties, trends, and groups which not only violate the borders, but also our national dignity.

The issue of the captured soldiers is very complicated, in addition to the open fire on the soldiers in northern areas, all of which does not bode well. Instead, they foretell the worst consequences of the state of chaos and the decline of national unity. The presence of the Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Nusra Front on the borders and Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian war under various pretexts, as well as the reactions to its involvement are all reasons for the frustration of the Lebanese people, which is likely to cause them to look for an immigrant visa to any other country in the world.

Due to this critical situation, there is an urgent need for a positive shock, and this is only possible with an agreement between the critical parties and groups, at least at a minimum level. All of the parties and groups are in a critical situation, suffering from a crisis and from a lack of weight and vision, and no one can bargain with the other because everyone is in the same boat that is on the verge of sinking unless they address the dangers facing them.

The security situation is threatening everyone, the economic decline is pressuring everyone, and the regressive social living conditions spares no one; what are the politicians waiting for? What about the parties or the leaders of the various sects and doctrines? Isn’t the danger of drowning worth announcing a state of emergency for, and descending from the ivory towers before its foundations crumble and fall onto everyone, and they begin to regret their decisions when it is too little too late?

Translated from Annahar newspaper, October 14, 2014

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.