Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Najib Mikati’s Return As PM Will Doom President Joseph Aoun’s Term, Perpetuate Hezbollah’s Occupation, and Block Reform and Change
Text & Video: Najib Mikati’s Return As PM Will Doom President Joseph Aoun’s Term, Perpetuate Hezbollah’s Occupation, and Block Reform and Change Elias Bejjani/January 11/2025
There is no doubt that the sin of designating Mr. Najib Mikati to form the first government under President General Joseph Aoun constitutes a harsh blow to the aspirations of the Lebanese people for reform, change, the implementation of UN resolutions, and the end of Hezbollah’s armed and occupying role. Mikati is not just a traditional politician; he is a corrupt businessman and a prominent figure within the system of corruption and foreign dependency that has driven Lebanon into its current crises during the Syrian occupation, and later under the ongoing Iranian occupation.
It should not be forgotten by anyone in Lebanon or abroad that Mr. Mikati entered politics under the direct sponsorship of the Assad Syrian regime, which ruled Lebanon with iron and fire. He was a financial partner to key Syrian figures like Rami Makhlouf, amassing his vast wealth through influence peddling and shady deals.
His history is filled with corruption cases, from subsidized housing loans redirected for his personal gain, to exploiting banks and public institutions for profit while Lebanon’s economy collapsed and poverty rates soared.
Most dangerously, since entering politics, Mikati has never been independent in his stances or decision-making domains. He has always been a tool fully submissive to the dominance of the Syrian and later Iranian occupiers. His repeated appointments as Prime Minister in Lebanon were imposed through the coercion and intimidation of the Syrian regime and later Hezbollah, with his role consistently reduced to a mere puppet rather than a decision-maker.
During the recent military confrontation between the terrorist Hezbollah and Israel, Mikati chose suspicious silence, failing to uphold his responsibilities as Prime Minister. Instead, he echoed Hezbollah’s narratives justifying war and destruction, in blatant collusion against Lebanon’s national interest. This subservience is nothing new. In 2011, Mikati led the so-called “Black Shirts” government, imposed by Hezbollah through force after toppling Prime Minister Hariri’s government while he was meeting the U.S. President in the White House.
Sadly, reinstating Mikati today as the head of the first government under President Joseph Aoun is perfectly described in the Holy Bible: “No one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out, and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:16-17)
Lebanon needs courageous, honest, and independent leaders capable of confronting corruption and rescuing the nation from Iranian hegemony and terrorism, not the recycling of figures who lost legitimacy long ago. Additionally, implementing the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel requires a Prime Minister who is fearless, unwilling to appease Hezbollah, and refuses to engage in deceptive compromises that derail Lebanon’s liberation and recovery.
In conclusion, Najib Mikati’s political history is entirely incompatible with the aspirations of President Joseph Aoun’s mission. Meanwhile, we believe strongly that even if there is regional, international, or Arab consensus on his reappointment, this consensus must be rejected, even if it requires the Lebanese people to take to the streets and protest against this disastrous political farce. Mikati’s return to power would only solidify Hezbollah’s occupation, obstruct the implementation of the UN resolutions, sabotage all prospects for reform and change, and simply doom the new presidency from its very inception.
It is worth mentioning that the upcoming government is highly critical to President Joseph Aoun’s mission in reclaiming and safeguarding Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence. This government will be responsible for decisions regarding the following key appointments and national files:
*Appointing the Army Commander and implementing the ceasefire agreement and the UN resolutions.
*Appointing the Governor of the Central Bank and establishing plans for future financial stability.
*Conducting diplomatic appointments and representing Lebanon abroad.
*Carrying out judicial appointments and making a bold decision regarding the future of the Beirut Port explosion investigation, along with a host of financial crime and corruption cases.
*Implementing military appointments across all security posts.
*Managing first-category appointments in all ministries.
*Organizing regulatory bodies across all sectors.
All the aforementioned critical matters raise genuine and serious concerns, emphasizing that the promises and commitments made in Aoun’s presidential oath, along with the fate of his presidential term, are entirely contingent on the next government and its prime minister.
In summary, the return of Najib Mikati as prime minister would deliver a severe blow, creating significant obstruction and encirclement of the presidential term. It would jeopardize its chances of success, hinder Lebanon’s liberation from Hezbollah’s occupation, block the implementation of UN resolutions, provide a lifeline to the corrupt political class, and obstruct the comprehensive reforms urgently needed across all sectors.
