Frem: The Absence of State Authority and Sovereignty Can No Longer Be Accepted

Lebanese MP Neemat Frem issued the following statement:

“The portentous incident that occurred in Kahale yesterday, along with the preceding event in Ain Ebel and other regrettable and rejected security mishaps across Lebanese territory -- in light of a catastrophic economic and social collapse and amidst a presidential vacuum crisis, entwined with political deadlock and complete paralysis – tragically reflects the flouting of the concept of the state and the dissolution that has pervaded its core structure, at all levels and throughout its institutions and apparatuses.

The danger posed to our homeland is existential. Expressions of disapproval, condemnation, and appeals have lost their efficacy. The current reality, characterized by laxity, impunity, intimidation, and the absence of state authority and sovereignty, is no longer acceptable and cannot persist. The deep shift in the mindset of Lebanese groups that are withdrawing instead of engaging with others due to oppression or loss of hope, is far from simple.

We find ourselves at a pivotal moment, facing a historical test.  Patching up and downplaying issues have become futile. Since sliding into discord is not a solution, let us unite and mend our deep wounds. This must begin with the immediate election of a president for the republic, to restore order to constitutional institutions and to embark on rebuilding the state’s apparatuses. Then we shall lay all our cards on the table bluntly and boldly, to agree on the most effective approach in managing our diversity in the future.

If we disregard this safest option, the scorching consequences and shifting circumstances will impose upon us a hybrid reality that erodes Lebanon’s raison-d’être, propelling us into tragedies written in blood, as it is recurrent in our history.

The memory of the Ain El-Remmaneh bus in 1975 remains vivid; and now we have the truck of Kahale – God forbid. Is it not time for us to learn the lesson?”