Don't Let Hope Fade

If there were one element that should be a top priority of political praxis in Lebanon, it would be transparency. The protest movement launched in mid-October last year has demonstrated this gap in the governance of Lebanese public authorities. It is incredible, to say the least, how quickly everything becomes a state secret in this country. This ranges from government formation to various sectoral initiatives, and includes drafting election law and the pricing of many public services. Everything takes place in the shameful whisper of the alcoves, between people who look like conspirators.

The private sector is no exception. The Lebanese have bitterly noticed it regarding the banking restrictions that credit institutions like to change every week, sometimes on a case-by-case basis and sometimes under the non-transparent orders of the Central Bank.

In any case, the protesters have reached a certainty: if Lebanese citizens have a limited involvement in public life, it is surely because of this wall of silence surrounding official information, the access to which is an uphill battle although a relevant law was passed by Parliament. And yet, it is less out of conviction than clearing oneself of responsibility in the face of pressure by the international community...

The outcome: as citizens are very little informed about their rights, they obviously turn to their political mentor. The latter can be a party leader, a minister, a senior civil servant, or even a religious leader. Therefore, instead of following a legal path as it is the case with any country governed by the rule of law, they usually follow the crooked path of influence peddling and corruption.

Over the past few months, the protest movement has raised awareness of this fact and swept away countless assumptions put into practice for many years. However, becoming aware of this abnormality is not enough. It is still necessary to act in a minimally structural framework to make the protestors’ voices heard and achieve the desired outcome.