Friday, February 25, 2011
Editorial

As the winds of change sweep the Arab world, Lebanon’s leaders seem to be in a world of their own. Countries throughout the region are changing, for better or worse, while local politicians are focused solely on the national pastime of elbowing each other aside as they struggle to secure shares of influence in the next government. They are doing so based on their whims, and narrow, personal interests, with no consideration of what the public needs, or wants.

The majority of “leaders” in Lebanon have little to no concern for such trivial details, as if the citizenry is a flock of sheep that can be herded around effortlessly. If the people accept this treatment, then they deserve it.
Ironically, the Lebanese populace is more “connected” via the Internet and social networking sites than people in other Arab countries, but politicians are content to block out such trivial details.

In general, officials fall back on the standard attitude of “it can’t happen here,” and “we can do whatever we please,” ignoring a long, depressing list of pressing national issues. But their carefree attitude is approaching the realm of the ridiculous.

The backlog of state-building and governance is such that everyone knows huge efforts have to be made in order to get the country back on its feet. Once this difficult goal is achieved, Step Two involves coming to grip with a host of challenges, to give people, and especially young generations, the hope of a bright future.

Young people continue to dream of escape, and remain focused on the Holy Grail of obtaining a visa to travel abroad, to make their futures elsewhere.

It can’t happen here, politicians argue, due to the well-known fault lines of sectarianism, which supposedly prevents people from acting in unified fashion. The same sectarianism and political fragmentation affects the labor movement, which has been a prime mover for change elsewhere. So, it can’t happen here.

But what is taking place around Lebanon, as has been proven in the recent past, is unpredictable, and can spread surprisingly and swiftly. Popular revolts have already taken place in the supposedly “most immune” locations. Countries under the grip of harsh political regimes have seen these regimes melt away. Countries rent by religious and sectarian division suddenly see their populations come together.

The problems of poverty, corruption and repression often do not target or harm a single group, which is what makes them dangerous to society. They target everyone, across differences of age, gender, class, region and sect. Politicians might be content to sleep easy, but there is a limit to what even divided populations can bear. It is time to act, before it becomes too late.