Jumblatt calls for establishing a Senate in Lebanon

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt also jumped on the civil marriage bandwagon and voiced his support for it a day after President Michel Suleiman called for legalizing civil marriage in Lebanon to help build unity in the multi-faith country.

In his weekly article in PSP’s al Anbaa newspaper ,Jumblatt lauded Suleiman’s “progressive thinking,” for supporting civil marriage in Lebanon , hoping that this measure will mark the beginning of the process of elimination of sectarian barriers in the country .

“This will help pave the way for the implementation of the Taef Accord and the establishment of a senate in Lebanon as the proper representative for different Lebanese factions,” Jumblatt wrote

“The senate will offer an alternative to the backward thinking that was demonstrated in the so-called Orthodox Gathering proposal or various televised debates that are reminiscent of the black days of the past,” Jumblatt wrote in reference to various electoral laws that are being considered to replace the current so called 1960 law

“The senate will offer an alternative to the backward thinking that was demonstrated in the so-called Orthodox Gathering proposal or various televised debates that are reminiscent of the black days of the past,”

“Isn’t it better to bolster diversity and coexistence instead of division?” Jumblatt asked.

He suggested that various parties return to the 1936 constitution devised under the French mandate over Lebanon, “seeing as it offers more progressive ideas than the ones being presented today.”

This is in reference to Kholoud Sukkariyah and Nidal Darwish who challenged the sectarian personal status code in Lebanon and became the first couple to hold a civil marriage inside the lebanese territories based on a decree that was established in 1936 during the French mandate

“If only politicians would halt their heated rhetoric in favor of catering to the people, who have fruitlessly waited for power-generating vessels that appear to be taking a world cruise across the five continents ahead of arriving at Lebanon’s shores,” Jumblatt remarked sarcastically in reference to the continued delays in the arrival of the power generation vessels that are supposed to help limit the power blackouts in Lebanon.

Lebanon energy minister Gebran Bassil promised last May that the power generating vessels will be in lebanon in July 2012 bu so far the vessel never showed up

“Even if the ships do arrive and end the darkness, who will guarantee that they can illuminate the dark minds that issued indirect and questionable threats against the Special Tribunal for Lebanon?” he wondered.

This is a possible reference to the recent publication by the Al Akhbar newspaper ( a pro Hezbollah and Syria publication) the list of names of witnesses linked to the STL trial that is set for March.

Commenting on the electoral laws that are being discussed Jumblatt warned “the political parties who are hoping to eliminate their opponents in the upcoming parliamentary elections are mistaken.”

Jumblatt criticized those who are using sectarian speeches to mobilize the people and “advised” them to invest this energy in finding solutions to the social issues Lebanese citizens are bearing.

“The elections are just a phase and we must return to dialogue as proposed by President Suleiman, starting with the national defense strategy,” he added.