Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Editorial

On the sixth anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the March 14 movement held a commemoration in Beirut that involved looking backward as well as charting the way forward.
Speakers at the BIEL complex, led by caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri, made it clear where March 14 is headed.
A coalition that has been in government since mid-2005 is set to become an opposition, par excellence, and there appears to be no room left for discussions on working out an arrangement to see March 14 join the next Cabinet.

This is good news, and not a sign that March 14 is going into eclipse. The responsibility of the opposition is as great as that of the government, and any pluralistic, election-based political system that lacks a viable opposition doesn’t deserve to be called a democracy. The move by March 14 to the opposition should be welcomed, provided that the democratic process is the order of the day.

At the BIEL event, Hariri told the public, both its supporters and its rivals, about what really happened during the saga of the Syrian and Saudi Arabian effort to form a government and arrive at some type of “political settlement.”
It was high time that he did so, since the public, for many weeks, had only heard comments on the so-called “S-S” initiative from Hariri’s rivals. Meanwhile, his supporters were unaware of the exact details of the mediation efforts, and would counter the other side’s accusations with vague statements. It is a positive development to see Hariri reveal these details, which help clarify his stances in the past, and lay out his course for the future. In Lebanese politics, seeing a politician accept with grace and determination the transition to the ranks of the opposition is a novelty.

It is hoped that this new equation, namely government and opposition, will be adopted and become a permanent feature of political life.

Any government should sense that questions are being asked about its performance and that it will be held accountable; this also keeps the public in the know.
If developments continue in their current course, the new, March 14 opposition will have its work cut out for it, as it monitors how the next government deals with many challenges, whether in terms of security, society, the economy or sensitive political issues.

Much of the era of Rafik Hariri saw a “troika” system of government, which was criticized by many sides, as well as the members of this troika itself. The era of Saad Hariri might be remembered for another novel system for Lebanon, one of, simply put, government and opposition.