Aoun: I Will Reject Any Law besides Orthodox Proposal that Does Not Offer Fair Representation

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun renewed on Tuesday his support for the Orthodox Gathering parliamentary electoral law.

He said after the Change and Reform bloc's weekly meeting: “I will reject any electoral draft law besides the Orthodox proposal that does not offer fair representation among the sects.”

“We will take the necessary measures to voice our opposition,” he added.

“To those saying that the Orthodox Gathering law is unconstitutional, constitutionality stipulates that no sect should be barred from governing the country,” Aoun noted.

“Is it constitutional that Christians were not represented during former Premier Fouad Saniora's government in 2005?” he wondered.

“To those committed to the Taef Accord, I would like MP Butros Harb to verify if a third of Christian seats at parliament were handed over in favor for Muslim ones” when the agreement was signed in 1989, continued Aoun.

Opposition lawmaker Harb was among the officials who signed the agreement in Saudi Arabia's city of Taef.

On the recent attack against Sports and Youth Minister Faisal Karami's convoy in the northern city of Tripoli on Friday, Aoun condemned the incident, accusing Islamists of being responsible for the spread of arms in the city.

He revealed that all offices of non-Muslim people were shut down in Tripoli “in a sign of their resignation to the force of arms.”

“All political and religious offices were closed in a sign of the weakness of the state and its inability to arrest the assailants even though it has identified them,” stressed the MP.

Friday's assault erupted after gunmen from the neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh, demanding the release of Islamists held in Roumieh prison, clashed with Karami's bodyguards and then tossed a grenade at the convoy, setting a four-wheeler on fire.

The incident left 11 people, including four of his bodyguards, injured.

Commenting on the situation in Roumieh Prison, Aoun remarked: “Violations always take place at the jail due to the overcrowding.”

He held Interior Minister Marwan Charbel responsible for the situation at the prison, demanding that he reveal plans to resolve the problem there.

Timeline
  • 22 January 2013, 17:26

    Aoun: We will see what measures we will take if our rights are not granted. The majority agreed on the Orthodox Gathering proposal.

  • 22 January 2013, 17:25

    Aoun: We are not infringing on the rights of other sects.

  • 22 January 2013, 17:25

    Aoun: We will not approve an electoral law that does not grant fair representation among all sects.

  • 22 January 2013, 17:24

    Aoun: The constitution has stipulated the rights of all sects in Lebanon. All sides are entitled to their rights.

  • 22 January 2013, 17:21

    Aoun: We do not want to criticize the Taef Accord, but verify the accounts of the people who were present at the signing of the agreement.

  • 22 January 2013, 17:20

    Aoun to MP Butros Harb: Has the Taef Accord abandoned a third of Christian seats in parliament for the sake of Muslims?

  • 22 January 2013, 17:19

    Aoun: I would like officials to fulfill their pledges at least one time in their lives.

  • 22 January 2013, 17:18

    Aoun to Interior Minister Marwan Charbel: What has happened to the development projects at Roumieh prison?

  • 22 January 2013, 17:18

    Aoun: Prisoners are citizens in the end and they are entitled to their rights.

  • 22 January 2013, 17:17

    Aoun on Roumieh Prison: I had previously submitted a proposal to construct two new prisons in Lebanon in order to ease the overcrowding at the jail.

  • 22 January 2013, 17:09

    Aoun: We have repeatedly demanded the dismantling of the metal bridge in Jal al-Dib. The bridge is causing severe traffic jams in the area.

  • 22 January 2013, 17:08

    Aoun: The state failed to apprehend the assailants in Tripoli even though it has identified them.

  • 22 January 2013, 17:05

    Aoun: It's unacceptable that a few hundred gunmen would wield their influence over 400,000 citizens in Tripoli.

  • 22 January 2013, 17:04

    Aoun: We may distance ourselves from regional developments, but we will not distance ourselves from Lebanese ones.

  • 22 January 2013, 17:03

    FPM leader MP Michel Aoun after the Change and Reform bloc's weekly meeting: We condemn the crime against Minister Faisal Karami.

SourceNaharnet
Comments 37
Thumb geha 22 January 2013, 17:06

hahaha... good start
when it is an m8.... we condemn, while when it is m14... we will wait for the judiciary....
hahaha... what a mascaraed.

Thumb jabalamel 22 January 2013, 17:37

ther filthy zionist scum is unhappy that karami survived and want to compare the real assasination attempt with hallucinatory ones (like on lady gaga)

Missing allouchi 22 January 2013, 20:56

Jabal Habal the inbred retard...

Thumb jabalamel 22 January 2013, 17:37

the real joke is that you waste air for breathing

Thumb bigsami 22 January 2013, 19:33

Motormouth.....your "Zionist' phobia that has been drilled into your empty skull by HA/Iran simply shows through all your post what a demented and ignorant fool you are. Take your fear and conditioned mind elsewhere and leave Lebanon and Lebanese in peace. No one in Lebanon is fearing the Zionist. We seem to doing just fine. But what we all are fearing are the scums HA and their agenda that comes from Iran. Get the ^%&^$^%@ our of Lebanon...you and you peasants followers!

Missing greatpierro 23 January 2013, 13:38

How can we build a country if we react as such to political opponents. A democracy needs opponent that respect each others. Your remark, which is actually often the attitude of Aoun, shows that we are in fact fighting each others which will lead to no where.

Missing greatpierro 23 January 2013, 13:41

The answer is that the cabinet won't take a decision to disarm no one because it does no good to Hizbullah. Hizbullah wants the proliferation of weapons so that the state remains weak allowing the Hizb to dominate. The infamous alliance with Aoun is allowing Hizbullah to implement this very plot against our country.

Missing trigger 22 January 2013, 17:22

"It's unacceptable that a few hundred gunmen would wield their influence over 400,000 citizens in Tripoli"
Hahahaaaaa how about a militia wielding their influence over the while of Lebanon ya general?????

Thumb jabalamel 22 January 2013, 17:37

the filthy zionist scum want to compare filthy wahabi fanatical criminals with our glorious resistance.

Missing allouchi 22 January 2013, 17:24

This crazy dude is getting more senile every Tuesday…

Thumb jabalamel 22 January 2013, 17:38

the filthy zionist is not happy because health and memory serve michel aoun well

Thumb mouallek 22 January 2013, 17:38

"L'oeil était dans la tombe et regardait Caïn". This turncoat general will not be able to escape his conscience indefinitely.

Thumb jabalamel 22 January 2013, 17:40

the filthy zionist scum think other people run away from their conscience like he does

Thumb jabalamel 22 January 2013, 17:39

the filthy zionist scum trash and filth want to talk about aoun turning sides, while he never really did that.

in 2005 syrians left lebanon so they are no longer enemies

Missing samiam 22 January 2013, 18:05

"in 2005 syrians left lebanon so they are no longer enemies"

so by that logic, neither are the israelis.

Missing samiam 22 January 2013, 18:22

no one really cares what the M8 apologists think any more--I have the same disdain for Israeli policies on Lebanon as I do for the Syrian ones.

And stop supporting this failed government. They are the government of no: no electricity, no security, no money and no credibility. Of course, it is always some else's fault, so throw in no accountability in there also.

Thumb bigsami 22 January 2013, 19:28

the filthy zionist the filthy zionist the filthy zionist the filthy zionist the filthy zionist.....

Missing samiam 22 January 2013, 19:29

Mowaten, I know who Israel is and they don't hide it. I can respect that. Syria however, has pretended to be our friend, but its actions have shown us otherwise. Ask my grandmother's neighbor--the poor 70 year old woman still holds out hope that her son taken by the Syrians some 20 years ago is still alive someone. One of my uncles was beaten up so bad by the Syrians that he still can't talk right.

If Syria is such a great neighbor, why have formal diplomatic relations been in place for only 4 years? Why have so many anti Syrian figures been assassinated compared to prosyrian ones? My reason for disdain has its reasons. If you were to remove the names from what the Israelis and Syrians have done to this country, you would have a hard time distinguishing which one is worse. I call a spade a spade--I don't give a rat's ass if people don't see that. Bottom line: syrians have killed more lebanese than israelis--those are the facts.

Missing allouchi 22 January 2013, 20:53

jabal habal, you are an idiot...

Missing samiam 22 January 2013, 21:32

FT,

Shabaa was taken by Israel after the '67 war. In 1973, there was another on. From 1975-1993 there was a civil war followed by a Syrian occupation until 2005.

Now it takes two to tango: which party did you expect to bring this up--the ones from 1944-1967, the ones from 1967-1975, or the ones from 2005 to now, because I haven't heard a word from this cabinet about demarcation or Shabaa farms as it relates to Syria.

Sorry about bring facts to an allegation party

Thumb jabalamel 22 January 2013, 17:39

the filthy zionist scum hallucinate that their friends in m14 coalition ever had a majority

Thumb jabal10452 22 January 2013, 18:58

I think that we need to consider the principle of creating an Upper Chamber where representatives (senators) are elected according to the Orthodox Gathering's proposal. MPs should be elected according to proportional representation. This will provide proper representation for all voters regardless of religious affiliation. The Upper Chamber (Senate) would preserve the balance of power among the sects as agreed upon in Taef. Just something to think about.

Missing gcb1 22 January 2013, 19:06

@jabal10452

I have been advocating this for a while. Great proposition that indeed has been a topic of discussion in academic circles.

As a liberal, I would like to see complete separation between religion and state, but I realize that right now this may be unrealistic. Perhaps the creation of an Upper Chamber as you propose is to me the best possible proposition.

Thumb lebnanfirst 22 January 2013, 22:22

@ jabal10452
A senate as envisioned in the Taef is a good thing. Only thing I would add and insist on is that it not be just for show. This chamber needs to be endowed constitutionally with powers similar to the US senate if it is to work and be effective.

Like it or not, we are a sectarian society my and some of our desires for secularism notwithstanding. Therefore, this chamber should represent the sectarian demography of Lebanon and be empowered to counter balance the parliament and the dictatorial tendencies of parliament speaker(s).

Thumb jabal10452 23 January 2013, 11:51

@lebnanfirst

Absolutely! It must be a senate that has the power approve / reject bills passed by parliament. This will require the rewriting of the national charter which in itself is no small feat. But I strongly believe that this is a necessary path to take in order to secure the long-term stability of the nation by dramatically upgrading the democratic structure.

Missing gcb1 23 January 2013, 15:44

Sad but true lol

Thumb beiruti 22 January 2013, 19:06

This guy is the worst sort of demagogue. His words are incindiary and are intended to cause fires. Aoun is destructive but is only the mouthpiece of destruction in Lebanon which is Hezbollah.

Missing gcb1 22 January 2013, 19:07

Aoun now sounds like his rival LF politicians: a sectarian politician proposing divisive policies in the name "Christian rights". Shameful.

Thumb jabal10452 22 January 2013, 21:15

FT, the FPM and the LF proposed electoral laws that have the same goal: protecting the Christian influence in the country. Whichever law we end with, it will become obsolete in the foreseeable future due to the relentless change in demographics in favor of our Muslim compatriots. Lebanon was once created as a safe haven for the Christians in Mount Lebanon. Too many people don't like to bring it up but that's the way it is. This is in the psyche of all Christians parties in both political currents. The spirit of this principle needs to be preserved, but not necessarily at the cost of proper representation in Parliament. This is why I argue for an Upper Chamber where Christians and Muslims are equally represented regardless of demographics, and a Lower Chamber elected according to proportional representation.

Missing gcb1 23 January 2013, 15:50

@flamethrower

FPM ran on an electoral platform in 2009 that advocated secularism, and to me that was enough to garner my support and what differentiated them from other parties (such as LF/Kataeb). But proposing this Orthodox Law violates that principle. I understand that one has to be pragmatic and realistic, but becoming pragmatic and trying to advocate what is politically possible should not give one a license to violate their values.

I one of FPM's values and principles that the party cannot violate was secularism, but this Orthodox Law is a liberal's and secular's worst nightmare, and would only increase division and unaccountability.

The 1960 electoral law is flawed (indeed any law is flawed if it exists inside a sectarian political system), but the proposed alternative does not seem to be any better.

Default-user-icon elie coopter (Guest) 22 January 2013, 19:17

1- i cant understand how michel aoun criticize the government when half the government is FPM , it is ridiculous
2- i can't understand how michel aoun who built all his FPM movement based on laic claims change and reform , what a sectarian law that brings us back to the middle ages .
3- instead of proposing plans for new jail , let him find funding to build them
4- instead of talking about the right of each sects , what about the right of the citizen to live in a country where everybody is equal . His allies abide to different rules than the rest of us lebanese , a law by definition is absolut . No gunmen in tripoli also means no gunmen in the dahye and the south .

so please general michel aoun , you wanted to be the new Gen Fouad Chehab , dont talk like the old samir geagea .

Thumb andre.jabbour 22 January 2013, 20:52

The fool spoke again, well it's Tuesday... It's fool day.

Thumb lebnanfirst 22 January 2013, 22:18

Which part of @starsky comment do you find factually wrong? @starsky summarized what I clearly recollect happened in a nutshell.

Sounds to me that you just can't handle the truth...

Thumb mouallek 22 January 2013, 23:43

May God protect Lebanon from Aoun's deeds and from the stupidity of his followers.

Thumb jabalamel 23 January 2013, 15:56

the filthy zionist scum trash worm suggested that no lebanese territory is occupied.

not even march 14 would say that.

only filthy zionist scum would say that

Thumb beiruti 23 January 2013, 15:59

@Flamethrower. Clever, but I see from your post that you think I have used the word "demaguaogue" when I have actually referred to Mr. Aoun as a demagogue. There is a difference. Though I am not sure what a demaguague is, maybe a pipi caca, but demagogue, means "A political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument."
So Aoun, you see, by playing on Christian fears of political marginalization and seeking to gain Christian political support for himself in the short term is actually doing great harm to the Christians of Lebanon and thus to Lebanon herself.

Thumb jabalamel 23 January 2013, 16:42

the filthy zionist scum accuse aoun of harming the christians while we know that prozionist christian leaders are the ones who harmed christians the most