It is rather strange that even after 11 years since its liberation from the Syrian tutorship, Lebanon has not yet been able to set an electoral law better than the one set in 1960.
Countries worldwide are staying up-to-date with the changes, through their electoral laws. They update them according to the requirements of the present and the future. But it seems that we, in Lebanon, desire to stay stuck in the twentieth century, as if we wished to stop there, in the year 1960 in particular!
This, of course, could not be blamed on the Lebanese people’s lack of ideas on the matter, nor on their inability to determine which law is better for the country. Everybody realizes that what Lebanon needs now more than ever is to pump new blood in this expired political class, which led the country to where it is at today. It simply turned Lebanon into a paralyzed State on all levels. Everyone knows that the best way to pump new blood into the political body, is a new electoral law based on proportions, in a way or another.
In fact, passing and implementing such a law is no hard task. During the past few years, a number of good drafts, all based on the principle of proportion, was put forth. But the problem is the lack of the political will to pass such a law, in the majority of the political class.
Unfortunately, instead of most Lebanese politicians favoring Lebanon’s interest above all other, it seems like we are dealing with a political class that puts its own, narrow interests first, not caring for anything other than achieving these interests.
Everything these politicians care about is to protect their slice of the pie, i.e. Lebanon. If the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces are the only ones truly seeking a proportional electoral law, that doesn’t mean that they do so out of ethics and principle alone. They certainly have done their homework, and found that such a law promotes their strength and presence.
As for the other main political parties, whether in the group called “14 March”, or in “8 March”, they all want to continue to go by the 1960 law, so that they could keep their seats in the Parliament, and preserve their presence, without considering what might be for the good of Lebanon.
Thus, we have proof once again that the political class, be it 14 or 8 March, has no consideration whatsoever to what is called a “noble cause”. Instead, it is always ready to make deals among each other, and to set aside all slogans that mean to defend such a cause, in order to achieve their own, selfish interests.
Today, more than any time before, it has become clear that we must no longer call these groups “14 March” or “8 March”. Instead, we should just call them “The Mayhem Bunch”.
