Miqati and Berri Advise Children and Appease their Fears at Parliament Session

Premier Najib Miqati advised the young generation on Sunday not to become followers as Speaker Nabih Berri urged Lebanese children to spearhead the rejection of political confessionalism.

During the opening of the Parliament of Children, Berri told the youngsters: “Become the vanguards of the people that want to abolish political sectarianism, lower the voting age and call for the participation of women” in political life.

“Our democracy and freedom, which we are proud of, are hit by an illness called sectarianism,” he said.

“Be Lebanese first and Arabs second,” he told the children. “The love of nations is religion by itself.”

Miqati also addressed the 128 children who had occupied the seats of lawmakers at the parliament, saying they should commit themselves to several values.

“You should be deeply committed to religious and humanitarian values,” he told the children.

He said that education is the headline of their success.

“The road is difficult but your choices are clear. Neither becoming followers to abroad is useful nor arrogance and stubbornness in the inside is useful,” Miqati said.

“We don’t want to be followers to the outside world but we want to preserve pluralistic Lebanon at any price,” Miqati stressed.

“We should cooperate to turn the dream to achievement .. Learn from our mistakes and fix them,” the prime minister told the children.

The Parliament of Children is aimed at allowing the young to express their opinions, participate in public life and contribute to the spread of children’s rights.

During the course of the session, children asked Berri and Miqati questions about issues that concern the young generation such as the rights of people with disabilities, the rights of Palestinians and the right to have free access to health services.

On the delicate issue of Palestinians, Miqati said he supported giving them limited rights so as to prevent them from becoming naturalized in Lebanon.

Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour, who also addressed the parliament, hoped that the occasion would provide an opportunity for officials to engage in dialogue.

At the end of the session, Abou Faour handed Berri two draft laws. The first deals with taking stronger measures against all criminals who target and abuse children and the second aims at amending law 422 of the protection of juveniles who have violated the law.

The second draft law also calls for adding an article to the law to find a solution to children on the streets.