Congratulations on your election victory, distinguished MPs!!

Look at the people (Douyoun)…. Look how they are

They cry out…..They swear by their life ruiners

They fall for their lies …They fall for their slander

What a people… They are listeners but not judgers

Ahmad Shawqi

The Death of Cleopatra

Congratulations to our victorious MPs. You deserve it. As your convoys roll into Beirut and you take up your well-earned seats in Nijmeh Square, be proud of what you have accomplished.

You, the winners of our election, selflessly fought your campaigns, making great strides for both yourselves and your country. Indeed, your sweet words of promise on the campaign trail were the true accomplishment. Action cannot help but swiftly follow.

Our streets, valleys and sea will no longer be strewn with trash. Wastewater will no longer contaminate our rivers and beaches. Our homes and businesses will be lit with a steady, around-the-clock supply of electricity. Traffic from Jounieh to Beirut to Choueifat will flow smoothly. The train that partially worked during the civil war and shortly thereafter will run again, and public transport will offer cheap, clean and speedy transit across the country. Children will no longer beg in the streets, and no one will be turned away at the hospital door.

The Lebanese University and public schools will regain their preeminence as institutions of education and scholarship, as they were in the ’70s. Along with better schools, we will have a better economy. Our children will no longer leave our shores to pursue vastly better opportunities abroad. They will become captains of industry, doctors, engineers, lawyers, and judges here in Lebanon—and they will perform their duties with integrity, neither fearing nor favoring the powerful. Likewise, you, our noble MPs, will work day and night in Parliament. Politics will no longer consist or deceit, cheap tricks, or pandering. And not a single penny will be squandered from public funds.

And this is all thanks to you, our courageous newly elected MPs. Of course, you had your supporters too—we cannot forget them. How the Sunni voters cast their preferential votes for Sunni candidates, Maronites for Maronites, Shia‘a for Shia‘a, etc. This is the beauty of “coexistence” as expressed through sectarian partisanship. And you, the winners, are the champions of this elegant system.

This is a victory it seems everyone can celebrate: the Lebanese Forces, Free Patriotic Movement, Progressive Socialist Party, Hezbollah, Amal Movement, Marada Movement, Syrian Social Nationalist Party, and even “Civil Society”.

We can only pity ourselves, the losers. We who thought that standing and voting for a certain sect is disgraceful. We who thought the Lebanese people would finally serve justice to their oppressors. The poor souls who thought 850,000 new voters would actually be different than their elders. We who put hope in our Zua‘ama and thought that, at a moment of reflection, they would say, “Enough, let us leave a country of which our grandchildren will be proud.” We who bet that the so-called “Civil Society” would heroically save us. And we who have challenged Lebanon’s regime since 1943, when the entire bankrupt system was put in place.

Thankfully, Lebanon has vanquished these naysayers. Led by our valiant MPs, our Lebanon will remain strong. Lebanon, which is being robbed by those monopolizing oil imports to the country since 1994. Lebanon, which collects around USD 3 million a year from those who have stolen public coastal lands, even though the levy should be more like USD 300 million, not to mention that public properties should not be compromised. Lebanon, which wastes some USD 200 million a year at the Ministry of Telecommunications while putting up with phone and internet outages and slow connections. Lebanon, from which about 30,000 emigrate each year. Lebanon, whose public debt totals USD 100 billion. Lebanon, whose political blocs are explicitly and shamelessly sectarian.

We have heard the sectarian speeches and we have witnessed “them” looting public funds. Soon, we will hear the beat of the drums of war. Soon, we will hear the sound of guns and the cries of victims.

But that’s in the future.

Today, we celebrate you, our gallant heroes in Parliament. You whose pictures adorn illegal billboards and occupied public properties. You who fueled sectarian divides and displayed empty promises. You who refuse to be ashamed of saying “we won.”

Congratulations on your victory over the homeland.   

                          Jawad Nadim Adra