Jumblat: Is it Acceptable that Martyrs Be Attacked with Complete Disregard for the Dead?
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat condemned on Monday the “base” political and media rhetoric being adopted by some officials in the country, noting that they have gone so low as to attack the country’s martyrs.
He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa magazine: “All political sides should exercise some humility and return to the national dialogue, which is the only way to protect Lebanon in this critical stage.”
He asked: “Is it acceptable that martyrs be attacked with complete disregard for the dead? Is it acceptable that the cause for which they died for be undermined?”
“Is it acceptable to attack individuals, who survived assassination attempts, in such a demeaning manner simply because they believed and strived for a certain cause?” he wondered.
“Didn’t their blood pave the way for some sides to return to Lebanon from their lavish Paris exile?” asked the MP.
Jumblat made his statements in reference to Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun’s attack on Friday against the entire political class in Lebanon.
He launched an attack against “political Harirism and the Mustaqbal Movement”, which he said have been supporting his political foes.
The FPM leader also labeled some “living martyrs” as “living thieves” for their “negative history in Lebanon”.
On Culture Minister Gaby Layyoun’s refusal to recognize the March 14 camp’s 2005 independence movement, or Cedar Revolution, Jumblat wondered: “Is it possible to deny Lebanon’s history as the minister did?”
“Does a difference in opinion eliminate historic facts? Has spitefulness among the political class reached such an extent that they would seek to erase pivotal historic and political moments and replace them with fictitious heroics?” he continued.
Layyoun had stated on Sunday: “I don’t recognize the Cedar Revolution and it should not be mentioned in history books because it was backed by foreign powers, specifically the United States.”
Addressing Lebanon’s power shortage, the PSP leader asked: “Is it acceptable to deny the Lebanese people from electricity because of the unjustified moodiness of a minister who is refusing financial aid from Arab funds that would help ease this shortage?”
On Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui’s alleged withholding of information from the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch over an alleged plot to assassinate its chief Col. Wissam al-Hassan, Jumblat noted: “Shouldn’t all official authorities cooperate whenever they receive information on suspicious security plans that would harm Lebanon’s stability? Should the country be exposed on the security level because of political disputes?”
According to An Nahar daily on Monday, Sehnaoui, who is loyal to Aoun, gave the Intelligence Branch information on telecom data on Friday for only 24 hours after he was informed of the alleged plot.
In the past 13 days, the minister was refusing to reveal any data after he agreed with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, during a meeting of parliament’s telecom committee, to control the amount of information handed over to security forces out of concern for the infringement of people’s liberties, said the daily.
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