To the Lebanese youth: what would your perfect Lebanon be?

Opinion piece by Zeina Dagher, Staff Writer

October 15th, 2020

Just a couple weeks ago, the Lebanese people suffered disappointment when the then-Prime Minister Mustafa Adib stepped down, having not been able to quickly form a government that would alleviate and possibly resolve the crisis. For many weeks, the unwillingness of the “Shiite duo” to give up the Ministry of Finance, that they believe to rightfully belong to them, was all that was being talked about on the news. It led to many endless negotiations between President Aoun, French President Macron, and Shiaa political heads, that only added to the feeling of hopelessness  that the Lebanese are already drowning in. And now, back to square one, the future seems darker than ever. It seems like in times like these, people are getting caught up in the politicians’ useless games, and the bigger picture is almost lost. Political analyses around the crisis are plentiful, but it seems no one quite knows what to demand anymore. Therefore, it seems like right now is the best time to bring things back to point zero. We always hear about the youth being Lebanon’s only hope and future. If it truly is so, then their vision of their perfect Lebanon should be a priority. However, up till now, it has been ignored. Consequently, highlighting the opinion of younger people is important, because then we can know what to concretely demand. 

For this piece, I have put out on different social media platforms one question: “what is your vision of a perfect Lebanon?” I have also more specifically interviewed a few of my friends, from various religious affiliations and backgrounds. I cannot say that I was able to represent all of Lebanon’s youth’s visions for this country, and am aware that the following is possibly but a fraction of it. However, all voices deserve to be heard, and this can hopefully serve as an opportunity to initiate a debate that until now has not been at the front of the scene. Please note that the opinions stated below are not my own, and I don’t necessarily agree with all of them. 

Among the many humorous answers around the catastrophic situation in Lebanon, some of them were more serious, expressing concern and the wish of leaving for a better future. However, almost all of them believe that this generation can fix the country, because “we are educated, and unlike our parents and grandparents, are not attached to the warlords in power.” Many have wished Lebanon to become “not only a country where we work to barely survive”. Generally speaking, stability, progress, innovation and longevity are a few qualities that many have mentioned to me, hoping to find them here one day. 

To those willing to go more in depth, I’ve asked more specific questions to which each have answered in their own way: 

·       Socially speaking, what are the things that Lebanon needs to achieve?

·       What is needed to improve the quality of everyday life?

·       What should Lebanon’s economy be like?

·       Politically, what are some things that bother you and what would you like to see?

·       What’s your opinion on Lebanon’s “culture”, the diversity of religions, etc…?

·       What are your opinions on Lebanon’s military and relations with the international community?

·       What do you think of the quality of the environment in Lebanon, especially in the age of global warming?

The answers were the following:

Cherly Abou Chabke, 2nd year law student at the Saint Joseph University of Beirut: “A perfect Lebanon is a Lebanon in which all the people, regardless of their race/religion/geographical location/ political affiliation, are treated equally under the law and have the same privileges. Speaking of the law, it’s a Lebanon that respects the independence of the judiciary, allowing it to be just and fair, where corrupt officials are held accountable and citizens abide by the law. Shortly said, it’s a country governed by the rule of law.  It’s a Lebanon in which those called “politicians” truly want to make positive change, working for the greater good and not for their own private interest or that of their followers. The three branches of the State would be truly independent from one another, and none of them would trample on the other. Religion would be sacred but doesn’t meddle with politics and doesn’t have a say in everything. That would certainly affect the condition of Lebanese women legally, and grant them the same rights as men. Ideally, women would have access to important positions just as much as men, and girls wouldn’t be afraid of walking alone at night or being harassed in public and private places.  Young people wouldn’t have to travel abroad to find opportunities, because Lebanon would have prosperity, growth and security. I wish that daring to dream and working for change would not be regarded as irrational or impossible, and young people would be the ones given the chance of taking the lead and creating this change, to be able to bloom and thrive here. For this opportunity to be given to them, an ideal Lebanon should be a meritocracy, which means that anyone can “make it” based on their potential and abilities, rather than political clientelist ties which is the case today. We’re so used to barely surviving, but we want to live, and enjoy a normal, prosperous life. We don’t want to be constantly fighting for our rights. We don’t want to have to normalize tragedy in order to find peace, or to teach our kids to cope with obviously unbearable circumstances in order to be happy. A perfect Lebanon is one where we have the luxury of not settling for the bare minimum to be satisfied. That includes having the minimum social equality and social security programs for all, and investing in real economy (agriculture, industry) and tourism, rather than allowing the country to become a capitalist empire at the mercy of banks. Lebanon’s cultural and religious diversity is fundamental to its richness, and it’s something that, ideally, would be preserved and encouraged by the people, and protected by the political structure (in my opinion, federalism is a solution to consider). It’s a country in which expressing yourself would not be a crime: freedom of the press and of expression are fully, truly guaranteed rights, not just in the Constitution or on paper. The right to protest would not be considered a punishable crime either. In other terms, people would have the possibility of saying “no” to that which does not serve their wellbeing. Also, having a tramway like we used to wouldn’t hurt! Lebanon was not called the “Switzerland of the Middle East” for nothing, after all. We had, and still have the resources and capacity to thrive, so in a perfect Lebanon, we would be using them for the prosperity of the country. In such a country, students wouldn’t have to worry about electricity and internet for online courses, homes wouldn’t have to worry about water shortages, drivers shouldn’t have to worry about car crashes at night because of unlit roads. In a perfect Lebanon, these resources would be exploited in an environment-friendly way, because we’ve suffered enough from fires and pollution. Sustainable development would be one of the main focuses and would ensure the preservation of Lebanon for future generations.”

Karim Jandali Rifai, 3rd year biology major/Arabic minor at the University of Georgia:  “A perfect Lebanon would be a place where people would be treated according to their merits and skills and not their sect. A perfect Lebanon would be a place where we’re governed by skillful, young, knowledgeable leaders, and not an oligarchy. A perfect Lebanon would be where it’s protected by its army and not multiple militias. A perfect Lebanon would be a place where women could walk in the streets safely without the fear of being harassed and chased down. A perfect Lebanon would be where I can actually go ski and swim within half an hour and not be stuck in a traffic jam for 3 hours. A perfect Lebanon is a place where basic amenities like water, electricity, and public transport are provided and not things we dream about and fight for on a daily basis. A perfect Lebanon is a place that’s not subject to international interests and proxy wars. A perfect Lebanon is a place where the banking system is actually solid and not a Ponzi scheme to benefit the elite. A perfect Lebanon is a place that relies on its own industries and not just imports. A perfect Lebanon is a place where East and West meet and where a civil marriage can happen between a Muslim and a Christian. A perfect Lebanon is a place where municipalities and regions are not divided based on sect and religion but based on their industries and agriculture and climate.”

Nataly Bittar, 2nd year chemical biology major at the University of British Columbia: “One of the first things that came to my mind when you asked me that question was definitely that a perfect Lebanon would have more Lebanese living in it than abroad. It’s unthinkable to me that so many of us live abroad, and so many of us look for having a different nationality to preserve our future and opportunities, and thus end up leaving the country. No one should have to leave for education or work or to live in a safe environment. Lebanon is a beautiful country which explains why tourism is really important, and I think our culture is perfect the way it is and we should try to preserve the diversity of religions. However, these differences shouldn’t have to be put out in politics. The government should be for the people, and what I mean by that is having experts in a field govern us. In the Ministry of Health, having medical experts. In the Ministry of Education, having people that studied education, like teachers. In all fields, having people who know what’s best for us. Having experts in the government also comes in handy when talking about Lebanon’s international relations, and making smart choices in foreign affairs, be it political scientists, people who studied international affairs, international law… Economically speaking, I think we could rely on tourism (although it could take a blow in times like the Covid-19 pandemic). We should also develop our industry and I definitely think there are many things we could export. But what’s most important to keep in mind is that we can’t rely on one thing, because any political issue with another country that we supposedly export to can be fatal: they can easily restrict our exports, thus putting our economy in great danger. Lebanon has so many resources that we’re not using to our full advantage, and the country is definitely struggling because of that. The young Lebanese themselves have so much potential, and so much passion for different topics, whether that’s global warming, medicine, teaching the youngest to love their country… A lot of the younger generations lost the controversial and conservative thinking that used to exist in the country, which puts a lot of hope in my eyes. If they grew up to stay in Lebanon, I’m sure we could better it, but sadly most of them are forced to leave to survive. Having work opportunities and development projects for the country would be a great step in getting everyone involved, whether that’s NGO’s, startups, anything that allows students to work and show their full potential, benefitting Lebanon instead of other countries.” 

Anonymous: “I don’t think the answer I’m giving you is particularly interesting, but a perfect Lebanon lies in what’s always been asked for. More job opportunities for the Lebanese to prosper, retirement plans, social security, a real and viable minimum wage, public transports, a judiciary that’s not corrupt, improvements in women’s rights, etc… in short, to consider the West’s example in social matters. I also want to say: the separation of religion from State, but I feel it’s too much to ask for. Now how do we achieve all of this? Obviously first by getting rid of all those corrupt politicians. I don’t know how, but it starts by getting rid of Hezbollah’s weapons protecting them, maybe with the help of sanctions from the US, as it’s a fairly peaceful way of resolving it… I also don’t want Lebanon to be involved in regional political problems anymore. And after everything that’s happened, I became a partisan of federalism* and separation, to allow each to live as they want.”

*This is an opinion that I found fairly recurrent in the various answers I received.

Joe Hawa, 2nd year industrial engineering student at the Lebanese American University: “In general, the perfect Lebanon is a Lebanon of peace, one where political parties aren’t stealing your money, and neighboring countries aren’t trying to steal your land. Social security and public transport should obviously be a priority to the state. Public transport would help reduce traffic which in turn helps the economy. It is also difficult to think about retirement in this country, since we have grown accustomed to living with our parents when they grow old, but retirement plans should still be discussed nevertheless since it could also create jobs. In terms of economy, Lebanon’s industrial market looks as if it is saturated already: everyone is used to certain products they always buy at the supermarket, and for the most part, these products are imported, whether it is in terms of chocolate, cereal, everyday products, etc... On the other hand, Lebanon is filled with tourist activities; one famous phrase that everyone uses speaks enough: “you can go skiing and have a swim at the beach in the same day”. Honestly I think that the problem with the economy isn’t the mix between industry and tourism, but it’s the fact that everyone would rather buy imported products than local products, and everyone would rather go on a vacation in Cyprus or Hawaii, or really anywhere but Lebanon. The government should focus on encouraging local production and tourism, and make exports grow higher than imports. In terms of politics, no one is sure about whom to follow. How can you make a fair judgment if everyone has been taught, since very young, to be divided? Speaking of division, the people of Lebanon should stop thinking of their religious counterparts as “inferior”, but rather learn to live with each other. It is easy to understand the attitude that our elders have towards the other religions when you understand that they have been torn by years and years of war, but we are approaching a brand new era, where we, the young generation, will soon be leading this country, so it would be wiser to forge allies and friends from now on, rather than ending up 30 or 50 years later backtracking to the wars that our ancestors have endured. As for the military, I believe there is nothing to criticize. The military does what the military has to do to protect our nation. Surely, the press portrays the military as simply a group of armed forces that are only there to stop protesters from marching freely in the streets, but does the press ever talk about the battles that the military fight? Does the press ever talk about the losses and the sacrifices that the military endures? Keeping in mind that the military is forced to fend off the people when they protest, even though they know they want to join in with them; isn’t that the biggest sacrifice? Finally in terms of global warming, the solution for it is entangled with all the other problems that Lebanon is facing. Surely, no one wants the ice caps to melt, but what can be done by a 60 year old father, with 6 children, whose only way to provide food for them is using an old and polluting pickup truck? Do you think he is concerned about the environment?”

In the end, the question remains an open one, and no matter the answers, it is crucial to start a debate within the Lebanese youth about the situation in Lebanon. The little window of change is currently open, and opinions are being put out like never before. So, what would your perfect Lebanon be?