By Daily Star Editorial

Three months have passed since Najib Mikati was asked to form a new government. In this time, the Lebanese public has witnessed a seemingly endless saga of staking out positions, foot-dragging, and cryptic statements about the latest “progress.”
The media has discussed and dissected the matter, as politicians and analysts wheel out their interpretations and counter-interpretations, about the Constitution, or the obstacles and hurdles, or how events in certain countries might be affecting the process.
During these three months of drift, Lebanon has been shaken by a series of alarming incidents. There have been violent riots in the central prison, Roumieh, and protests in the streets.

There have been deaths on the “illegal construction” front, in a crisis that threatens to spiral out of control.
Seven Estonian nationals were kidnapped in the Bekaa Valley, with little hard evidence of their current whereabouts.

Political turbulence in the Ivory Coast has sparked a mass exodus of Lebanese expatriates and huge losses in remittances.
And, a wave of “ordinary” crimes has drawn the attention of the officials who are obliged to remain on duty as the politicians bicker over the government.

Amid all of this, people in some parts of the country ask about the value of continuing to obey the law, when the respect for public authority is trampled on in other areas.
Today, there is still no government, and little optimism. Rosy statements or “scoops” in the middle of the day turn out to be false alarms by the time night rolls around, after a politician shoots down the latest news that an agreement is drawing closer.

The heavy-duty debates over who gets what and how much in the next Cabinet might seem to be of the utmost importance to those who are involved, but they’re of little consequence to average people.
The public at large is fixated on two issues of monumental importance. People are focused on how to get their daily business done and plan for the future in a country with no direction.

And, they are watching the hugely important transformations taking place across the Arab world, and are wondering about the likely impact on Lebanon. There have been uprisings and unrest in about a dozen Arab countries, as some regimes go on the offensive, street by street.

Meanwhile, politicians here continue to wage war, portfolio by portfolio. Perhaps they think the Lebanese are naïve, but they’re not that naïve. The public needs to hear the answers to a few simple questions: Is there going to be a government formed? If not, why not? If yes, when?

People are mature enough to hear the answers, and be told who is responsible for their remaining in limbo for this intolerable period of time. The average citizen is simply running out of room to maneuver, and politicians have no excuse to keep things on autopilot in a region that is encountering heavy turbulence.