Tuesday 12 December at 6:00 pm, Gebran Bassil, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement gave a speech after his meeting with the “Strong Lebanon” bloc. Gebran is a very contraversial character in Lebanon, and his previous speeches and statements often initiated anger in the streets of Lebanon. This one, however, might give the Lebanese revolutionaries some satisfaction. These are the highlights of his announcement:
Bassil admitted to the previous governments’ many failures, especially in these three categories: 1) the country’s economy, 2) fighting corruption, and 3) the topic of the emigrants.
He added: “The failure with money and economics for 30 years until today has led to the collapse of the country and the failure to fight corruption. This has led to any attempt of understanding between politicians to be considered a deal.”
The former minister said that the solution for Lebanon’s problems is very clear. Nothing will get the country out of this state but a rescue government that must contain a head and members of specialists who have efficiency, merit, and clean cessation.
According to him, this government’s title must be “the solution” and its path must be that of success. Those who are able to restore people’s confidence and to handle corruption files should be supported by political forces and parliamentary blocs.
@tayyar_orgTo our surprise, Gebran also addressed the obstacles to the formation of this ideal government, according to him: The insistence of former prime minister Hariri on the equation “I or no one” and the insistence of Amal and Hezbollah to take an approach of confronting external dangers; a techno-political government headed by Hariri, which will bring back the country to square one.
He assures that his Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the “strong Lebanon” bloc don’t want to be part of such a government that is doomed to fail.
He addressed their partners, who are keen on the existence of this bloc and who are convinced that the government without them will lose the national balance, to return to the movement’s basic proposal that was rejected, and he asked the opposed political parties to reconsider their position.
In addition, Bassil confirmed the FPM’s willingness to sacrifice all their ministerial seats to save Lebanon, saying: “Take all the seats and give us fiscal policy, productive economy, implementation of the electricity plan, and stopping waste in the state’s institutions.”
And, in defense, he said that if he was really a partner in corruption, he wouldn’t be subjected to the political assassination that he’s exposed to today. His position towards the formation of the new government was clear in his refusal of a traditional one because of its inevitable failure.
“Today, the equations varied. We don’t want to win the game of politics and fail as a nation.”
Whether the Lebanese revolutionaries were satisfied by the contents of this announcement or not, it is good to hear them admitting the failure of the previous system. Plus, it is another win that another political party is willing to give up its ministerial seats.
