Aoun on Jumblat: We May Forget His Thefts but Won't Accept Theft of Our Freedom via Electoral Law
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Monday accused the opposition March 14 camp of “practicing obstruction” and slammed Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat over his rejection of an electoral law based on proportional representation.
“The parliamentary minority is practicing obstruction in collusion with some of the executive authority, and we will not remain silent over this issue even if some people launched verbal attacks,” Aoun told reporters after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc in Rabiyeh.
“I support a proportional representation law and turning Lebanon into a single electorate and those who have another point of view must voice it in parliament,” Aoun said.
Criticizing Jumblat without mentioning him by name, Aoun said: “We are not obliged” to boost his political clout.
“We might forget about the thefts … but we will not tolerate the theft of our freedom,” Aoun added.
Commenting on the issue of the arms ship seized on Friday by the Lebanese navy, Aoun said “it is an attack against Lebanese territory and Lebanese sovereignty, as well as an attack on a brotherly state, Syria.”
According to media reports, the navy intercepted three containers of heavy machineguns, artillery shells, rockets, rocket launchers and other explosives destined for Syrian rebels on a ship originating in Libya.
“The policy of self-dissociation must be applied by both the government and the people and those trafficking arms are harming the ties with a brotherly state,” Aoun noted.
Addressing the ongoing financial row, the FPM leader said: “The ‘era of prostitution’ is over and we have embarked on forming a panel together with some MPs for the sake of financial accountability from 1993 until now.”
“The objective is improving administration and the financial situation, but some parliamentary committees have started obstructing the step,” he added.
“We are ready to go to court ... and should we be convicted in a single case, we pledge that we would quit politics. Where are your evidences?” he said, addressing his movement’s political rivals.
Asked about the imminent visit to Lebanon by Jeffrey Feltman, assistant U.S. secretary of state for near eastern affairs, Aoun said: “He is coming to support the corruption he used to support when he was (an ambassador) in Lebanon.”
Source: Naharnet
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