Is There Hope In Lebanon?

Yes there is hope. Before you call me crazy, allow me to elaborate. Despite multiple crises taking place at the same time at the moment in Lebanon, varying from electricity cuts to gas all the way to lack of bread, and levels of corruption and irresponsibility never seen before among Lebanese officials, despite all, there still is hope in this beautiful country. I believe there is hope in Lebanon for multiple reasons. First, the presence of awareness among Lebanese youth to the political situation and context in Lebanon. A bright example of that is the victory of the independent parties in most student elections that took place in universities in Lebanon, universities like the American University Of Beirut, Lebanese American University, and University Saint Joseph, all witnessed victories for the independents at the expense of the traditional political parties that tasted defeat. This generation of youth does not pledge loyalty to a warlord or a certain political party, it pledges loyalty to a country, it pledges loyalty to Lebanon. Second, the international community is paying huge attention to the situation in Lebanon, and is distinguishing between the corrupt Lebanese officials and the ambitious and loyal Lebanese people, which include army soldiers, engineers, doctors, waiters, up and coming students, and other holders of every endeavors. An example is the continuous aid of Qatar to the Lebanese army, in which Qatar pledged to “start a year-long aid project by providing 70 tonnes of food products to the Lebanese army every month.”(Xinhua) Another example is both presidents of France and the United States Of America pledging to provide monetary aid to Lebanon, and those two are considered some of the leaders of the free world. Third, the presence of a large and intelligent group of untraditional media personnel whom are loyal to Lebanon and make their number one priority to spread awareness, nationalism, and independent thinking among the Lebanese viewers, personnel who are bold with their content and comments, such as Dima Sadek whom on live television confronted president Michel Aoun , and accused of him of knowing about the explosive material that was present in Beirut port that caused the horrendous August 4th explosion, or such as Riad Kobbaisi whom on his show that airs on Al Jadeed TV, “Yasqot Hokm El Fased”, has reveled the corruption of Lebanese political parties with official documents and in numbers, exposing the political parties of owning multiple real estate properties as well as monopolizing multiple industries within the Lebanese economy, such as the telecommunications industry for the sake of the future movement(indirectly), other examples include Mouin Jaber with his podcast “Sarde After Dinner” which hosts different figures in the Lebanese society and discuss various topics relating to the current situation in Lebanon. Also, untraditional media extends to accounts on social media which provide daily updates and news rather than television, pages like the 961, megaphone news, and political pen, resonate with many and many are starting to trust them more than traditional news distributors. Untraditional media personnel and pages which provide the truth in their news as well as pledge allegiance to Lebanon and nothing but Lebanon will be the foundation stone of a smart and aware society. Finally, the contribution of the Lebanese diaspora spread around the world, whether they are in Montreal, Quebec, Canada or Doha, Qatar, the Lebanese diaspora’s contribution to Lebanon is nothing short of colossal in which whether it’s money transfer to their families in Lebanon, which keep the cycle of dollars flowing in the Lebanese economy or whether it’s the money they spend when they visit Lebanon, the diaspora has and will always help Lebanon. All in all, there is hope, for the reasons mentioned and much more, but that hope must be built upon by reforms and change, and that starts with next year’s parliamentary elections. So, no matter how much you don’t trust the election process and no matter how far away from Lebanon you live, get out and vote, cause change, impose a better life, impose a better Lebanon.

.عشتم و عاش لبنان

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