From: rached@blanc.eng.ohio-state.edu (rached)
Subject: Re: Elections and deputies
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept of Electrical Engineering
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1992 19:01:29 GMT


Bassem

We should differentiate between you and me on one side and deputies
elected to represent us.
What is the job of a deputy ? He is a lawmaker, he has to know what the
people (at least those who voted for him or his constituency) wnats and
try to make their will implemented in the meetings with other deputies
and government. So this will necessitate the deputy live among his
people. He should at least see their sufferings (if not suffer with
them) so that when he takes a decision it will not be for an ideal but
for the sake of the people. Thus if people are starving to death, a
deputy should not say "I am not going to attend the meeting for raising
the salaries because we have to liberate the country first". Instead he
should rush to that meeting since it benefits others.
In summary, a deputy is elected to perform a job. If he is living in
France, he will not be able to perform that job. So instead of living on
my and your expense while still theoretically a "deputy" he should
resign since he is not able to perform his job.
This goes for other than deputies. If my father "an engineer at one of
the wazarat" leaves Lebanon and goes to US for example. Would the
Wazarat pay him if he said "Well I cannot perform my duties under the
current circumstances that's why I am in US" He would be forced either
to resign or be fired since he is not performing his job. Why does this
apply to common people and not to the so called "deputy".

If the life of the deputy is more important to him than his job, it is
his right to flee with it outside Lebanon. But he should leave the
lesser important job to lesser important people than himself who are
ready to sacrifice their lives and stay in Lebanon. 

That is not to say that all the deputies that have remained are honest
and the best. Still I have respect for them in that they stayed. An
example "non-deputy" at this time is Prime Minister Salim El Hoss. Well
he stayed in Lebanon even after two (or more) attempts on his life (one
of them claimed the life of the late Mufti). Shouldn't Dr. Hoss be a
deputy instead of Mr. Salam who fled the country after the first attack
on his house? 
Mr. Salam closed 4 (yes four) intersections around his house killing a
very important street in Beirut that links Musaytabeh to Hamrah and he
still is in France. People are suffering daily from the security around
his house and he is riding cars on freeways in France. Instead Dr. Hoss
did not close any of the streets around his house (which by the way
would have made a big mess) even when he was a prime minister.

That's what I am talking about Deputies who take their decisions based
on what they see on TV and what they hear from the people around them
vs. Deputies that really know what is going on in the country because of
what they see first hand. In fact I respect for example Mr. George
Saadeh for staying in Lebanon and voicing his opposition to the current
government and not fleeing to KualaLampoor and voicing his opposition.

rached
Newsgroups: soc.culture.lebanon