By Ghassan Karam, Special to Ya Libnan
It is very rare to witness as much confusion, and attention paid to the superficial as has characterized the dialogue regarding who is to be given the right to vote in Lebanese elections. And that is unfortunate. One would have expected the discourse to be serious and well informed since the issue deals with the fundamental democratic institution of extending the suffrage to many that have been denied the right unjustly and unfairly.
Universal unrestricted suffrage does not exist anywhere in the world and is unlikely to become the law of the land anywhere in the foreseeable future. There appears to be a universal restriction on the right to vote for anyone under 18 years of age in addition to the restrictions against extending the right to those that are mentally ill, felons, unregistered or that do not meet the requirement to vote from outside the country in question. External voting exists in one form or another in 115 countries out of more than the 200 states in the world and even when external voting exists it does so in a big variety of ways.
Let us make it absolutely clear from the outset that giving the right to vote is not the same as making sure that the affected individuals have the proper access to the facilities that would enable them to cast that cherished vote. To offer the right and withhold the access is cruel; in effect it is equivalent to not having offered the right in the first place. But what is arguably more important, in the Lebanese case, is the need to distinguish between expatriates, first generation immigrants and all other individuals that claim to be of Lebanese descendancy.
No one could argue against offering the right to vote to civil servants who are stationed overseas, businesspeople whose work demands make it difficult to be in the country during election times, students who are completing their education overseas in addition to those that are seeking medical services abroad. Obviously the expatriates, those that work overseas on either temporary or permanent bases also deserve the right to vote because they do contribute to the welfare of the state and have a strong connection to it. But the right of the long term immigrants is not so obvious. When would a Lebanese descendant lose the right to vote? I should hope that the answer is not never. Suffrage is a privilege so that those that inhabit a place can have a say in how it is run. The vote is not an inalienable right given to all irrespective of where they live and without any regard to how long they have not resided in the country.
No country gives its citizens an unrestricted right to vote from overseas especially if the number of potential voters from abroad is larger than those at home. Armenia, who is in a similar demographic situation as Lebanon; 2.5 million Armenians live at home and 8 million are scattered all over the world, adopted a law in 2006 that does not allow any external voting. Even other countries that do not have to worry about disproportionate external voting place some rather strict limits about residency. In many cases a citizen loses the right to vote if she has been outside the country for fifteen years and in some cases the right to vote requires that the voter must have been outside the country for six years or less. Does it make any sense to offer a person whose parents left Lebanon say a hundred years ago the right to decide how I am to live and under what laws? Why should a rational person offer to give an outsider the right to veto anything and everything that is of importance to the community? Are we serious when we say that we want to give say, the grandchildren of Danny Thomas, Jamie Farr, John Sunnunu , Selma Hayek ,Paul Anka and Shakirathe right to vote in Lebanese elections? What do they now about what is good for Lebanon and why should they have a say in how we choose to conduct our affairs?
I am afraid that the demands by many of the political leaders to offer the Lebanese citizenship to 11-15 million people, who live overseas,who do not speak the language in most case and who have nothing but an emotional attachment to some aspects of Lebanese culture is a well orchestrated ploy to resist deconfessionalism. These are the same pols who declared their allegiance to the Taef accords but opposed implementing them. The veil has fallen and the true colour of these political leaders is revealed for all to see. They are nothing but bigoted leaders whose backward sectarian ideology is simply built on grabbing power and discriminating against the other. To claim that their position is legitimate as a result of the geopolitical developments is pure rubbish. It is nothing but a sick excuse from a sick mind.
I agree with the writer that granting Lebanese citizenship to 11-15 million people who live overseas is another desperate attempt to resist decofessionalism by some of our genius political leaders.
Remember some of these people left Lebanon 100 to 200 years ago and believe me some of them they don’t know were Lebanon is located.
Finally, I just want to further elaborate on this point I’m an Armenian Lebanese living in Lebanon for most of my life. Now being an Armenian does it give me the right to vote in elections in Armenia. Off course not. The truth is there is nothing common between us living in diaspora and the Armenians living in Armenia. Even though we still share the same language and traditions. The same applies to the Lebanese who are living abroad in countries like Brazil, US, Canada and France. For God sakes, some of these people they don’t know how to speak Arabic.
I will go even further and say that some of the Lebanese livng in the homeland should not have the right to vote. In the past elections we have seen many going to cast their votes for people they can’t even pronounce their names, but they voted for them because they were told to do so. Voting for many Lebanese is a way of making some extra cash or being granted certain favors. I know that in the coming elections I will not cast my vote to any of the current members of our political class.
Sebouh,
Your personal case is a wonderful example of the insanity of trying to give citizenship and the vote to 15 million people all over the globe. Thank you for sharing it.
Marillionlb,
I know some people who use the general rule of thumb of never voting for an incumbent in order to rejuvinate the ideas, keep them fresh and relevant. If we can do something similar to that in Lebanon then we will not return any of the rascals currently in office. We sure need more people like you:-)
I am trying to get the few friends I have and the few readers of my blog to put in the balot a paper which states “none of the above” in case we have the same incompetent idiots in the next elections.
Excellent point, Mr. Karam. But don’t you think that those who are throwing the issue of voting rigthts for 3d generation descendants of Lebanese emigrants are doing so for the sole purpose of muddling and diluting the rights of expats like me to vote?
We have been denied that vote for decades, for the simple reason that our vote will sway elections in a direction that would be, to say the least, disagreeable to the powers – i.e the entrenched traditionalists, the pro-Syrian occupation crowd and their remnants, etc…
Expats who have lived abroad for many years have escaped the Lebanese Gulag and think differently than resident Lebanese. We know that an elected politician is OUR servant to fix electricity, roads, water, traffic, bureaucracy, corruption….The resident Lebanese, on the other hand, think of their elected politician as entitled by God and by genetic inheritance to be elected, and that perpetuates the problems of Lebanon.
Those who are arguing to give voting rights to third generation descendants of Lebanese emigrants are doing so to kill our right to vote, and by “our” I mean those of us who had to leave the country because of their wars, their corruption, their massacres, and their overall destruction of “our” Lebanon.
Aziz,
There ought not be any questions asked about the rights of expats to vote. That is a very legitimate right. I do hope that our politicians can do the right thing on this issue.
The lebanese descendants dont want to be part of the ugly sectarian politics of Lebanon they’re happy to know and visit the country of their birth parents and ancestors..they are incapable of understanding such social divisions and grudges and better for them be kept that way, innocent and loving..not tarnished by hatred and struggles of power. all young generations of lebanese roots born abroad who belong to various religions are very proud to have a second home called lebanon..because the blood never turns to water.
So Ghassan dont worry am for one wont let sectarian politics ruin the pure picture of lebanon that I drew for my children and dreamt about since we immigrated 32 years ago..the exact picture that Erin Cole saw just scraping the surface of reality..and better keep it this way..
We didnt take part in burning lebanon then, and defenitely not participating in doing it now..I think every lebanese should listen to National Anthem every day..it clears the mind and the heart from the poison of politics, and instead set the change to patriotism.
Ohh and who do you trust counting the votes anyway..what a joke!!
I believe Mr. Berri initiative to allow 18 yrs old to vote is a ploy to increase the Shiite voting power. Its fine as long as he’s okay with those Lebanese who live overseas and currently hold Lebanese citizen be allowed to vote at their embassies/consulate in their local areas. But i hear Mr. Berri is against it why?
does he like to Give Syrians citizens so they can vote for him and his allies? why is he acting if he controls everything? he wants everything for him? This is not what Imam Mussa Al Sadr stood for? he was a fair leader and looked for all Lebanese not his own sects only. Its a ploy to be controlled by Hizzballah and Amal and since the Shiite are the majority in Lebanon then they can easily win any elections. No i dont agree allowing citizens who were born overseas to be granted citizenship until they prove they have Lebanese origin and it slow going process basically. But Lebanese abroad should be allowed to Vote so we don’t have to travel there to vote. Its seems Hizballah and Amal want to control Lebanon at whatever cost. What a pity for other Lebanese and even shiites..
Before the civil war, during the elections, we were making the trek back from our northern village, after voting. We stopped to buy some produce from a young farmer. My grandfather asked him if you could vote, whom would you vote for? He managed to pick all Shiite candidates from different opposing lists, ignoring the rule. Although, I dream of the day when religion and state are no longer “courting”, the reality of Lebanon is that religion does matter and the one man one vote, whether we like it or not, will elect a Shiite president at every juncture. Until such time, where sectarian religious divide is no longer in our hearts, I think all this is premature. I think best we elect a list representing all, including the minorities, and power shared by rotating the offices accordingly. I would love to see a Druze official become President, and a Catholic Christian becomes Lebanon’s Prime Minister, an Orthodox Christian speaker of the house, and a Moslem head the LAFs. What a glorious day it would be.
DEAR LEBANESE PEOPLE,I LEFT LEBANON OVER40 YEARS AGO TO STUDY AND I TRIED TO GO BACK IN1975 BUT THE WAR WENT ON FOREVER I COULD NOT DO ANY BUSINESS,I STILL VISIT LEBANON I HAVE A HOUSE AND PROPERTIES AND ONE OF MY CHILDREN IS A STUDENT IN A UNIVERSITY.MY POINT IS THE MIND SET IN LEBANON IS GETTING VERY SECTARIAN REMOVING IT WILL MAKE THINGS WORSE THE EXPAT. ARE MORE EDUCATED ,SUCSESSFUL BUSINESSPEOPLE THAT HAVE OUTGROWN, THIS RELIGION IS BETTER THEN THAT CAUSE GOD NEVER SAID THAT AND THE REASON IS JEWS THINK THEY ARE GODS CHOSEN PEOPLE AND JERUSALEM BELONGS TO THEM THINK WHO WROTE THE TORAH OF COURSE JEWS ,WILL THEY GIVE THE HONOR TO AN OTHER NATION ,OF COURSE NO,SEE WHAT KIND OF MISERY HAS BEEN PERPETRATED SINCE 1948,BUT ONTHE OTHER END INFLUXE OF JEWS FROM EUROPE AND ALL OVER THE WORLD MADE ISRAEL A VERY PROGRESSIVE STATE ALSO OPEN DOOR POLICY FOR CITIZENSHIP ELIGIBILITY MADE ISRAEL A VERY RICH COUNTRY IMAGINE ALL THAT EDUCATED HIGH TECH BRAIN , MONEY INFLUX, WHY CAN WE NOT DO THE SAME THING AND GET THE EXPATS INVOLVED AGAIN WITH NEW THINKING MONEY NEW BUSINESS VENTURES AND ELEVATE THE LOT OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL THUS MAKING US LESS SUSEPTIBLE TO BLAME OTHER RELIGIONS FOR OUR MISERY NOR WANTING FOR A HAND OUT FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY SO WE DO NOT NEED TO BEAT THEIR DRUMS,CAUSE WE ARE FINANCIALLY SECURE THUS A STRONG COUNTRY WITH SECURITY FOR EVERYBODY THROUGH GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS. SO GO THINK ABOUT IT IF IT IS GOOD IDEA TO WIN THEM OVER AND GETTING THEM INVOLVED SO LOTS OF US WILL RETURN WITH NEW MIND SET EDUCATED NONSECTARIAN FINANCIALLT HELPING THR-E COUNTRY TO GROW,WOULD IT NOT BE A WONDERFUL THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO LEBANON. SO LET’S THINK POSITIVE ENOUGH OF NEGATIVISM. ANY SUGGESTIONS OR COMMENTS PLEASE!
Walid,
Radical change will not happen by itself. It is the duty of each of us to lobby for it and to act as a catalyst. All our efforts might not bear fruits during our life time but at least we would have done the right thing and prepared the path for the future generations. This discussion must start at some point in time and I am convinced that no time is better than the present.
Rafik,
Your point about the major contributions of the expats and immigrants is one point that no one will ever deny. Lebanon will be a basket case without the annual remittances from its expats. They are responsible for over 25% of the GDP.
Yet not all descendants should get the right to vote. In most countries the expats are a tiny proportion of the population but in Lebanon if one is to offer citizenship and the right to vote to all Lebanese descendants then the ones living abrod will outnumber the ones in Lebanon by a factor of three. Also remember that the US citizens who live abroad and vote must pay every year income taxes on their earnings irrespective of the country of origin. So the right to vote comes with a lot of responsibility and is very costly to the individuals. In the case of Israel not everyone can vote. One must be a citizen who is living in Israel. As for Armenia, as I had mentioned earlier no external votes whatsoever are permitted.
I am sure that all Lebanese value your contributions but a line must be drawn somewhere and I think that the first generation immigrants with a time limit on nonresidency is appropriate.
I believe that a good indicator for weather an expatriot can vote is weather he has a Lebanese passport, many of those whos ancestors left long ago don’t and are virtually only Lebanese by family tree, those who keep their passports cleary hold intrest in Lebanon and it’s welfare and deserve the right to vote. Giving citizenship to those whos ancestors left Lebanon 200 of so years ago is ubsurd, it is like giving us all the right to vote in Africa or the Garden of Eden, or wherever humans originated from.
Inamyat,
I obviously agree with you. For a moment I was about to include the reference to Africa but then I did not. That is an excellent example of how silly that idea of offering citizenship to all that are of a Lebanese origin. Another good example would be to have most of the US citizens, Australians, Canadians etc… vote in the UK.
If a Lebanese Person living outside of Lebanon, no matter for how may generations, wants to vote, they should have every right to do so. Obviously if a person who was born outside of Lebanon cares enough to go out of their way and vote, then they also care about the politics of Lebanon. I doubt a person like Salma Hayek would cast a vote, even if she could.
That is a very good example Ghassan.
Fadi, if say you have a Brazillian or an American whos ancestors by chance left Mount Lebanon in the Ottoman Empire 200 years ago,he has no Lebanese citizenship and knows nothing about Lebanon, should he be given a say in how Lebanon is run? Perhaps an Aussie should vote in Brittain in that case, those who hold an intrest in their home land, are likely to have a Lebanese passport and are able to vote anyway.
Let me clarify, the person much hold a Lebanese Citizenship, its not enough to just be of Lebanese decent.