 By: Colonel Fayez Karam (Translated freely: By Elias Bejjani) We Currently live in Lebanon a strange reality. We shift from one due national event to another with happiness or sadness, anxiety or comfort, according to the event's circumstances and outcome. Most frequently they are a challenge to the citizen's patriotic maturation and a means of exploration for their convictions, stances and aspirations. Most frequently too, the outcome of these events is known in advance and advocated for by politicians with no conscience, mercenary media men, corrupted official employees and ignorant citizens. The Citizen frequently plays the role of a forged witness who kneels to the will of a baton and responds to the drum rhythm. In Lebanon presently, ignorance is both, the role model and the enemy. The word lexicon has been changed in Lebanon; it now gives a twisted meaning to the words. It spreads instructions and deception, election and appointment, courage and submission, nationalism and treason, democracy, freedom and sovereignty, injustice, slavery and collaboration. People clap with those clapping, and with them get happy or sad, stand or sit and even talk or muffle to follow in their steps. This is our Lebanon of today in which occupation and its local puppets have killed nationalism, forged history, assassinated truth, stolen peoples' will, cancelled their democratic choices and legislated the appointment of rulers and officials. We will continue In the " Free Patriotic Current" to refuse this imposed degrading reality, and will keep on making our opposing stance clear and public. We oppose the acts of an ignorant citizen, not all citizens' acts, we oppose the collaborated politicians' stances, not all politicians' stances, we oppose deceiving journalists' attitudes and not all media attitudes. We feel happy with an outcome of a democratic election, because it personifies citizens' will, and brings back confidence, comfort and hope to their heart. We feel happy for a victory achieved in an election, because it mirrors our ambitions, and because in the process itself, there is always the freedom of choice. An election process is a choice for qualifications not for personal influence or favoritism. It is an illustration for a collective will and not the desire of an individual. Certainly, there are those who feel happy for an election outcome due to different reasons. They do so when a brother or relative wins because they plan to secure a status, get a post or make some personal interest. Others feel happy for appeasing a tyrant or a collaborator after giving away their rights and choices. Some feel happy for giving priority to blind and ignorant affiliations to family, political parties, favoritism and qualifications. Still others feel happy for being ignorant and for trusting, accepting and believing crooked politicians with no sound judgement. In the democratic free countries people vote for diversified choices, but without becoming hostages to them. They give first priority to personal convictions, not to other affiliations and they value their choices. In Lebanon of today, citizens are hostages of their stance, give priority to affiliations over convictions and give away willingly their right for free choice. The changing concepts that we are endeavoring to deliver into the hearts and minds of our people are the following: 1) The winning or the loss in an election is not portrayed by the success of an individual or the failure of an other, They are a genuine a reflection for a wise, authentic, well-informed and promising will. 2) Familial and political convictions are not formulated through embracing blindly a one person or a one dignitary, but through a collective will, that strengthens citizens' choices for development and improvement. 3) History is ours; we learn from its mistake and take examples from its glory. We all, together, can make the history of our great Lebanon. 4) We can be stronger with the support of a family and we can pose with qualifications. On the other hand, ignorance, blind subservience and collaboration were and remain odds in our life and lived reality. 5) We have to commit our selves to national slogans and feel proud with affiliations that provides equal opportunities and secures fair righteous choices. Long Live Free Lebanon. France. November 27/1998 |