Sons and Daughters, leave the political sphere for us
Politics in Lebanon is a hassle, not only because of the system per se, but also because of the familial lineage that constitutes every political party in the country. We continuously see the same faces over a span of forty years and after the father’s term comes to end, we become victim of a similar face being the son.
Most political leaders decide to pass their throne to their sons as a way of keeping their agenda alive as well as keeping the family name in the Lebanese political sphere.
Yes, it is wrong to believe that the son is going to lead the same way as his father, but citizens begin to lose hope in the new generation when they either don’t understand what the definition of politics is or just blindly follow what their father had previously idealized.
What we don’t come to realize is that there are several ways to halt this system of corruption — starting with this familial hierarchy.
First things first, usually each political party has a committee that is supposed to decide on who they want to appoint as the next leader. However, the problem is that they blindly accept whatever the previous leader decides on without giving their absolute opinion on the topic. Any member could simply intervene and justify why they would prefer another leader based on that person’s activity and plans for the party in comparison to the false promises of a leader’s son.
It is important to note that that is not always the case, but it has been more recurrent prior, during, and after the civil war, where most of the leaders’ sons either inherited their positions or kept shadowing their fathers until they were ready to head the sect.
Another reason why this family lineage is going strong is because political sects believe that the vitality and strength of the party is in the heart of the family name rather than the individuals themselves, thus it is a compromise by all members to instill the success of the political institution.
In other words, it helps continuation. But whether this continuation is helping us is the question we should really reflect on and ask ourselves daily, especially with the recurrent bleak issues the country continues to see.
The corruption won’t stop by appointing another member from the party but by erasing all previous notions that parties have implanted in the society and create new ones. However, that requires work from the youth.
As we have seen in history, those political movements that aim for reform and change must begin while an individual is fresh with ideas and on the ladder towards intellectuality rather than waiting to get dragged into the wagon of existing ideologies and beliefs.
Lebanon is prosperous, not in its leaders, but in itself. New thoughts can change this vicious political circle, making the country a place void of corruption, defeat and violence; a place filled with ideas, progression and vibrancy.
