By now, everyone's heard about the forged official Russian signature on the garbage export document. Sadly, it’s not the only forgery in Lebanon’s recent history.
Forgeries have been ruling our lives for decades. And I’m not talking about fake Gucci bags and Levi’s jeans, or even about food and medicines, but about much bigger things.
So without further delay, here are the 5 most striking forgeries in Lebanon:
1. Democracy
So without further delay, here are the 5 most striking forgeries in Lebanon:
1. Democracy
This is, to date, the best forgery in Lebanese history.
The Constitution states that the people elect their representatives to parliament who, in turn, elect the country's president.
In the past 48h only, almost every politician has given a speech about democracy and the presidency. It didn’t matter if parliamentary elections were cancelled twice and MPs renewed their own mandate. In other words, it didn’t matter if an illegitimate parliament is going to elect the next president.
Democracy, right?
But wait, it gets better: our current Constitution is nothing else but the Taif Agreement signed in 1989 by members of parliament elected in 1972.
Basically, our “democratic” Constitution was ratified by a parliament that renewed four times its own mandate and had been illegitimate for over 13 years!
2. Syrian tutelage
This one is something.
Syria has invaded Lebanon in 1976. It stayed here for almost 30 years by force, bombing, killing, torturing…
In 1990, it was offered the country as a reward for its symbolic involvement in the Guff War.
Until 2005, it had tens of thousands of military and security personnel stationed in Lebanon. It had checkpoints everywhere, arrested and disappeared anyone it wanted, anytime it wanted.
It chose presidents, prime ministers, ministers, members of parliaments, heads of armed and security forces, mayors and every official you can think of.
But no, it wasn’t a military occupation, merely a brotherly tutelage…
3. Freedom, Sovereignty, Independence
3. Freedom, Sovereignty, Independence
“Horriyé, Siyédé, Este2lél” was the anti-Syrian resistance slogan for over 15 years.
As soon as Syria was ready to leave Lebanon, the slogan was stolen by the very people who collaborated with the Syrian occupation.
Not only that, but most of these people still take orders and money from foreign countries, and never hesitate to hang portraits of foreign monarchs in popular demonstrations or everywhere in the streets, next to their own picture.
Freedom? Sovereignty? Independence? Think again.
4. Moumana3a
The famous Moumana3a Axis exists to fight the Zionist plan to rule the Middle East.
Locally, it supposed to stop Israel from invading and destroying Lebanon. To that end, it has an impressive arsenal and thousands of fighters, making it one of the strongest military forces in the region.
But strangely, it doesn’t lift a finger to stop Lebanon from destroying itself. Worse: it actively participates in its demise.
Take, for example, the country’s cancer: corruption. Why is there no Moumana3a against that? Isn’t corruption slowly killing Lebanon, eating it inside out?
What about garbage? Why is there no Moumana3a against that too?
Leaving it to rot everywhere, irreversibly polluting the land, the water and the air, letting viruses develop and spread, is not really different from allowing a biological attack against Lebanon.
So what’s the point of a Moumana3a if there’s no country left to defend? Well, the answer is in the question, isn’t it?
5. The Lebanese people
This is the ultimate forgery, the Mona Lisa of lies.
Don’t be fooled by all the flag waving and patriotic posts on social media, the Lebanese people doesn’t exist. Not as one entity.
There are Christians and Muslims, Sunnis and Shias, Druze and Maronites, Roum Orthodox and Roum Catholic. There are fils de bonne famille and men wara el ba2ar. There are mad3oumine and not mad3oumine. But no Lebanese people in sight.
If there were a Lebanese people, would they allow their country to be ruined in such a way? Would they tolerate all the forgeries stated above?
Wouldn’t they take to the streets to reclaim their beloved country from the thieves that govern it? Especially when the corruption linked to the garbage crisis has become clear as day, and the crisis itself is threatening their very life?
I believe we all know the answer to that, don’t we?
© Claude El Khal, 2016