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Al-Mokdad, Al-Moqdad, Al-Moukdad Clan, Al-Mouqdad, Free Syrian Army, Hezbollah, lebanon, Lebanon Kidnapping, syria
The crazy kidnapping spree that took place this week and still ongoing is scary on all levels. It’s what a country like Lebanon needs to take back its glories. And I tell you that I never felt like that in recent history. It’s easy to blame the government, which I did, but let’s be realistic here. Two parties are responsible, Hezbollah which legislated this state of lawlessness, and Free Syrian Army which has given Al-Mokdad family the unnecessary spark.
Hezbollah is responsible because they set a precedent in May 7 which got everyone to think that the only effective way to fulfil their demands and solve their problems is by violence. Other results of this jungle-law-thinking are obviously discarding the presence of the government and inciting sectarianism. So, as a result of that, we got local militias to surface like the Sunni ones in the north (& other places) and Al-Mokdad family militia (as if they didn’t exist before like many other Bekaa tribes), and road blockers like Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir. And all of them practise pure chaos.
Free Syrian Army is also responsible by inviting Hezbollah or Shiite community to the fighting field by starting that kidnapping spree. First with the 11 kidnapped Shia pilgrims months ago, and with Hassan Al-Mokdad last week. FSA (non-officially) claims the kidnapped individuals to be Hezbollah fighters, but the evidence or scene don’t suggest that.
I don’t believe that Hezbollah would send his fighters, non-armed, with over 60s men and with their wives, in a bus to enter Syria from Turkey. Nor they would send someone like Hassan Al-Mokdad who claimed in a video with his kidnappers to have met Hassan Nasrallah in person who asked him to go with another 1,500 to defend ‘Shiite Syria’. These claims seemed to be very much based on Addounia-like imagination of these FSA members, and Hezbollah doesn’t operate on these loose amateurish standards.
Just one word on the government, coma? Still in coma. Maher Al-Mokdad didn’t use a balaclava to talk to the press and admit kidnapping of tens of Syrians in Lebanon while threatening embassies in Lebanon with terrorist attacks. This can seriously spiral out of control, and the country is ready to be completely divided in any 24 hours.
“Just one word on the government, coma?” I have been reading your blog posts for some time and you do bring very good points. However, this sentence that I quoted in the beginning has made me realize a flaw in the electoral system or voting system which the entire Lebanese society is blinded too. I do not mean to attack you or argue with you but I would like to add a “thought” that might lead your Lebanese readers to reach a “eureka moment”.
I am not talking about proportional voting; I am talking about who the people are allowed to elect for different governmental offices. In Lebanon we only elect members of the House. Then the House elects the members of the Senate, and then the Senate elects the President as well as the Prime Minister. As an outsider this seems to me a government that elects itself, and those house members and Senate members seem easily persuaded by foreign delegates. In other words, change who the people can elect into office because the politicians that are in office are not elected by the people they are elected by foreign powers which make sense why foreign governments have a huge influence over Lebanon.
And yes, if one party wins by majority the other party will dispute the results and protest either by burning tires, closing roads, kidnaping, booming warehouse….. Just pick any one of them. But then again if the majority of the country picks one party then I think the army would have the spine to stop any illegal protest since it knows it will be supported by the party that the majority of Lebanese elected.
Case in point:
Divide the country into proportional districts according to sects and let the
People elect House members
People elect Senate members
People elect President and Prime Minister
Hey thanks for following! I thought you would need to comment on the precious post
http://lebanonspring.com/2012/08/08/so-who-is-winning-from-proportional-representation-in-2013-lebanese-elections/
Anyway, I agree with you on the problem, but solution is not guaranteed. Sectarianism is everywhere and not sure if that’s the right system for it.
Btw, we don’t have senate house. And election of president by parliament is precisely done for the reason that controlling 128 ppl is easier than 4 million. Even Maronites will not accept direct election of president.
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