Lebanon’s Silent Majority

In the Daily Star, Lebanese business man Wissam S. Yafi writes about Lebanon’s silent majority, who demonstrated in such numbers on Monday:

Why did this silent majority move? Quite simply because it was tired. It was tired of seeing moderate and visionary leaders assassinated, while its fortunes were at the mercy of visionless officials appointed by outsiders who acted only on instructions. It was tired of having a clueless government that did not represent the majority’s interests, particularly at such a crucial time in Lebanon’s history when many dark clouds are gathering. And those in the majority were tired of having to tell their children that it was best for them to leave their nation in search of a better future.

While some may claim that Lebanon is unique, the national demonstration on Monday showed that the silent majority was no different than its counterparts elsewhere in the world – for example in Chile, where people brought down the all-powerful regime of Augusto Pinochet, having tired of his repressive police state and self-serving and obsolete security warnings. Lebanon is not different from Eastern Europe, where societies brought down oppressive and manipulative governments that had led them to economic ruin, while their neighbors in the West were well on their way to economic prosperity. And, it is not so different than Iraq, which in the January elections bravely showed the world how powerful the voice of freedom could be – even as voters faced the direst of personal risks.

Lebanon’s silent majority is not unique, for it wants the same thing that all humans everywhere want: dignity, freedom and peace. It has a vision of a Lebanon that is economically ambitious, entrepreneurial and prosperous. It will follow those offering this optimistic vision; and it will dwarf those who wish to bind Lebanon to its dark past through strategies that undermine this vision. The silent majority in Lebanon has spoken with a voice that has silenced everyone else; and in this has taken Lebanon’s destiny into its own hands. Those in power had better yield and quickly.