Unfit For Democracy?

Watch the political crisis unfolding in Lebanon now. The events are a good indication on whether democracy can work in multi-ethnic Middle Eastern countries or not.

Five Shiaas ministers have just resigned from the government, and there is already talk of “chaos”, “lawlessness” and the unknown. You see, Hezbollah and Amal are fairly representative of most of the Lebanese Shiaas (though not all of them), and the biggest concern now is that whatever decision the government will make will not have “the blessing” of the Lebanese Shiaas.

Constitutionally, the government can still function. The resignation of 5 ministers is not enough to undo the cabinet, you would need 8 resignations for that to happen. In other words, kowtowing to Hezbollah and Amal and beg them to come back is not justifiable on paper.

The counter-argument is that the “wise” thing to do is to put all the Lebanese together under one roof in these crucial times. I must say, that is the biggest load of crap I ever heard. This is the Middle East. Crucial times will be with us forever..

I realized that the Lebanese factions will never reach a consensus on any matter of significance ever. When the Syrians ruled the country, we always had a faction that was not “properly” represented in the government. Christians were routinely sidelined, and after 2000, the Sunnis were too. Still, because we had a strongman rule, we had to let it slide.

If we allow Hezbollah to bully us with its spoiled-child behavior, we would be sending the wrong message that a strongman’s rule is superior to democracy in this part of the world. That would be a real shame.

I say install Ghazi el Youssef and other independent Shiaas in the government. The rest can sit in the opposition’s platform. If they don’t like it, tough luck, they can demonstrate peacefully under the army’s watchful eyes. At the end, they will get tired and go home.