Federalism debate in 2nd day of parliament session on govt. policy statement
Most MPs who spoke on the second day of a parliamentary session debating the new government’s policy statement announced that they would grant the government their votes of confidence.
However, MP Cynthia Zarazir of the Change bloc said that she will withhold confidence as MP Imad al-Hout of Jamaa Islamiya said that he will abstain from voting.
“The ministerial statement is supposed to represent a roadmap for rescuing Lebanon, but unfortunately we found ourselves before a document lacking the essential points,” Zarazir said.
Hout for his part wished success for the government but said that he will judge it based on “its actions, not words.”
MP Michel Doueihi meanwhile announced that his Change Alliance bloc will grant its votes of confidence to the government. The bloc also comprises MPs Marc Daou and Waddah al-Sadek. Doueihi, however, said that he has “no confidence in the finance minister nor in his previous role on the finance parliamentary committee.”
He also said that the government, in its policy statement, should have adopted the phrase “the Lebanese state’s right to self-defense” and not “Lebanon’s right to self-defense.”
MP Ashraf Rifi for his part granted the government confidence and said “the war in Lebanon and the region is about to end and has become in its final stages.”
“The Lebanese must prepare to return to the state and enough with wars,” Rifi added.
MP Halima Qaaqour of the Change bloc meanwhile said that all foreign interference in Lebanese affairs should be condemned and that rejecting it should not depend on the side interfering. She also said that “resistance and self-defense should be a right for the state.”
“We must raise the Lebanese flag in this resistance, not the ‘Shia, Shia’ slogan,” she added.
MP Osama Saad for his part noted that he will be granting the government his vote of confidence, something that he had never done in the past with previous governments.
“I hope my confidence will be deserved,” he added, calling on the state to “confront (Israel’s) aggression and occupation with its own forces, or else popular resistance will regain its legitimacy.”
“Let Lebanon immunize itself with deep national agreements and the people want a state that protects them,” he went on to say.
The session meanwhile witnessed a debate on “federalism” as MP Wael Abou Faour was delivering his remarks.
Abou Faour noted that some ministers in the new government are “advocates of federalism,” in an apparent reference to Industry Minister Joe Issa al-Khoury, the former secretary-general of 'Ittihadiyoun,' a federalist association in Lebanon.
“Your opinion is your right and no one can dispute that, but this government is clearly committed to the Document of National Accord (Taif Agreement), which does not mention federalism nor does it accept it, and accordingly and with all due respect for you and your ideas, we hope your work in your ministries will abide by the Document of National Accord,” Abou Faour said.
MP Nadim Gemayel of the Kataeb Party intervened, telling Abou Faour that “some parties are thinking of the (Islamic) Ummah and of Iran and other things,” prompting the MP to say that he also does not support that.
“This is a healthy debate, if someone believes that federalism is a solution, let them come to parliament to amend the constitution and establish federalism, but this government … is committed to the Document of National Accord,” Abou Faour added.
Source: Naharnet
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