Quote:
Originally Posted by The Jade  1) If we're making a mistake with craps like Amal, I don't see why we should do the same with SSNP
2) You really believe that Change, Reform and fighting corruption will pass by Amal ????
3) You say we're allying electorally with the SSNP. From the looks of it, if Achkar wins he's gonna be sitting on the same table as the C&R block. (Not to forget that after the alliance made with Murr, Aoun had said that it's only an electoral alliance.....)
Concerning the SSNP vote, I clearly remember Ghassan el Achkar going on TV many times urging his supporters to vote for the FPM.
Saying that FPM's and SSNP's lines are the same and that we're fighting for the same cause.
The SSNP DID mobilize it's supporters.
Now, we can meant that:
1) The SSNP can't mobilize its supporters as much as it says it can, which means that the 10 000 votes people are talking about are hugely overrate
2) The elections weren't so important that the base decided not to move as much.
Both ways, the SSNP wouldn't be helpful....Unless you think that if we had to have Achkar instead of Khoury we would've one much easier... |
Firstly, AMAL and Hezbollah are one. So without AMAL/Hezbollah on our side, Zahle's 7 seats will be a major battle. It is a battle as it is. These are 7 seats we are talking about. The FPM in Melbourne has been working very hard to convince Zehlewiyye from here to go and vote (and we have done very well). We see Zahle as a hotspot and so do our colleagues in Lebanon. Major problems with AMAL and therefore AMAL/Hezbollah will turn Baabda into a battleground. This will make it a battle for the 4 seats we have nominated in Baabda, especially if Berri and Jumblatt execute some under the table deal. Frankly I don't trust Berri and at this stage we should be willing to work with him in order to maximise our number of seats without conceding too much to him and without pushing him towards working with Jumblatt. That's exactly what is going on now and it is working well. So to respond to your comment, I don't think we are making a mistake by working with Berri and this wasn't what I was implying. Many of us feel that working with Berri isn't a mistake and so how could we feel that working with SSNP is a mistake.
In regard to believing in Change and Reform and fighting corruption, while working with AMAL, well I'd rather fight for our cause with 35 seats as opposed to 21 or 23 or 25, and while we are in the majority rather than the minority. And where we have 8 ministries as opposed to 5.
Regarding Ashkar being a member of the C&R block - It's completely illogical for him to sit with us while Assad Hardan and Marwan Fares don't. It's either all of them or none of them. They are all obviously a lot closer to Hezbollah and probably won't be in the C&R block. Besides, Ghassan Ashkar has to win first. Secondly, we have our program. Anybody is welcome to come and sit with us provided that they will work for our program, be it Ghassan Ashkar or even the devil. Who would have thought that Michel Aoun would enter Damascus university to the setting of Lebanese flags and talk about a free and independent Lebanon? Who would have thought that Bouthaina Shaaban and the Syrian Grand Mufti would talk about a free and independent Lebanon and 'SHA3BEYN BI BALADEYN!' Yes Bouthaina said this.
I am still arguing that SSNP had a low turnout in the 2007 Maten bi-election and presented a good argument, regardless of what Ghassan Ashkar said on television. Saying something on television doesn't mean that it actually happens. Secondly, this time round there was great discussion that the SSNP would boycott Maten if Ghassan wasn't taken on our list. So in times when Ghassan asks them to vote, they hardly show up, I'd hate to think what they would do if they were asked to boycott. Of the two options you presented above, I think option 2 is likely, i.e. Khoury winning didn't mean much if the opposition increased from 57-58 seats. It may have also been a message to General to show us their numbers, which to me is evident. They stayed home and we almost lost and it's a good example as to why we need them. Great move in 2007 by them and it resulted in Ghassan Ashkar being picked on our list. If the 4th Maronite seat will be a battle anyway, between Sami and our candidate, I'd rather it be a battle where we will reap the rewards of the SSNP votes to strengthen our other candidates and let the people choose between Kataeb and SSNP. It's a win-win situation, because if Kataeb lose it will be a major blow to feudalism (how embarrassing Kataeb losing to SSNP in Maten - many of us would love to see their reaction afterwards). If SSNP lose, it will pretty much begin the downfall of the SSNP from Maten, something that we can continue in Koura in 2013.
23rd April 2009
