Jumblat: Aren't We Better Off Forming New Govt. Instead of Waiting for Magical Solution in Syria
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat slammed on Monday the political deadlock in Lebanon given the the local and regional instability.
He wondered in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa website: “Aren't we better off forming a national unity government instead of waiting for magical solutions that will not be achieved in Syria?”
“With the new government, disputes will no longer be fought on the streets, but at cabinet,” which will seek to ease the tensions in the country, he remarked.
On this note, he condemned Sunday's ambush that resulted in the killing of four people - two from the Jaafar family, one from the Amhaz clan and a Turk whose mother is Shiite - in a barren terrain near the northeastern towns of al-Qaa and Arsal.
The Jaafar and Amhaz clans are well-known Shiite families in the regions of Baalbek and Hermel.
Jumblat continued: “Aren't we better off supporting the Lebanese army in its arduous mission in keeping calm in Lebanon instead of maintaining the debate over the Constitutional Council and the extension of parliament's term?”
“Didn’t some of the lawmakers who are criticizing us for backing the extension originally support the agreement to extend the mandate in the first place?” he asked.
The parliament extended its four-year term at the end of May after the rival parties failed to agree on a new parliamentary electoral law, pushing the polls to November 2014.
President Michel Suleiman and the Change and Reform bloc however submitted to the Constitutional Council petitions to challenge the ruling.
The council is failing to meet over the boycott of three judges – two Shiites and a Druze.
“Aren't officials better off organizing the political disputes instead of dragging Lebanon towards the Syrian crisis through calls for jihad and others to combat alleged takfiris?” wondered the lawmaker.
“The Syrian people are not in need of calls for jihad that only tarnish the image of their revolution and steer it away from its goals, which will ultimately serve the Syrian regime,” he stressed.
“Aren't we better off supporting Suleiman's positions that stem from his keenness on national sovereignty?” he asked.
“Aren't we also better off supporting Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi who hit the nail right on the head when he expressed the Lebanese people's exasperation with the severe divide between the March 8 and 14 camps?” Jumblat continued.
“Aren't we better off seeking to restore calm in Lebanon instead of issuing fiery stances? Aren't we better off approving a number of important measures that would tackle the poor economic situation instead of continuing the fall in the Syrian crisis?” he asked.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has justified his party's involvement in the fighting in Syria alongside regime forces by saying that it is combating American, Zionist, and takfiri agendas in Syria.
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