This is not a rift between March 8 and March 14 Forces. This is simply a story of people who place themselves above the law. Railways, public roads and beaches are all victims of flagrant violations and the coastguard fails to execute the circular of the Ministry of Works and Transportation, which prohibits charging money for access to the beach and urges the settlement of all infringements on public property.

Picking holes in the previous or future practices of March 8 or March 14 Forces should never stem from hatred or envy or be employed for personal political gain. Encroaching on public and private property, threatening people and fabricating accusations to cover theft are all punishable crimes and those who act with utter and flagrant disregard for the law are all of the same stamp and they are nestled within both March 8 and March 14 Forces.

There is another stamp though: the respect of the laws, oneself and others and the abstention from all practices that impinge on people’s rights. What can those who lack the financial means to appoint an attorney or raise their voice do?. Judge Mohammad Said Adra said once: “..Not only does the peril lie in inflicting injustice, but also in every move enfolding propensity for injustice. So let it be known that however strong those in power are, only justice can grant them immunity, for it is the foundation of governance. From a sound judiciary emerges a sound nation.”

All policies that fail to raise or to commit to those principles are deemed immoral and blasphemous. Neither Palestine would be restored, nor our nation united unless we maintained values resistant to sleazy politics and nepotism. Coastal and riverside properties are stolen in Lebanon and this is criminalized by the law.

Indeed, the matter is not connected to March 8 and March 14 Forces, but to having access to electricity, roads, schools and hospitals and to maintaining values and principles that can save our society and what we call “a state” from decay in both form and substance.

Jawad N. Adra