CRY FOR JUSTICE

Written by: Ashi Chaturvedi

Edited by: Yashi Shah

LEBANON'S CRISIS

On 4th August 2020, 200 people lost their lives and 6000 got injured due to a 2700 tonnes Ammonium Nitrate holocaust in Beirut, Lebanon. The Indian Express reported that the blast ‘reignited’ the Anti Government Protests. Reignited!? Yes, Reignited. This was not the first time when thousands of people pelted stones on Lebanon's Parliament in central capital Beirut. Due to its corrupted system and religion-based politics, the country with the proximity of both mountains and beaches and known for its tourism got hollowed becoming the 3rd highest indebted country of the world in terms of debt-to-GDP ratio. 

Lebanon is known for its balanced demography. Here, Shia Muslims are 27%, Sunnis are 27%, Maronite Christians are 21% and others contribute 25% of the total population. To maintain ‘Unity in Diversity’, after getting freedom from French Colonisation in 1943, Lebanon’s newly established government decided to proffer equal representation in Parliament to each community. It was marked that their Prime Minister would be a Sunni Muslim, President- a Maronite Christian, and Parliament Speaker- a Shia Muslim. But this ‘theory’ couldn't work in reality (at least not for unification) and the fort of hatred between these communities grew stronger by each passing day. Each political representative started to fill their own pockets in the name of ‘welfare’ for their ‘own’ community. Due to this ‘religious’ corruption, Lebanon increased its taxation rates to fill its debt from other countries. Situations got worse when Lebanon had to impose a new tax on WhatsApp Calls, $6 per month. People's exasperation burst out. A new revolution was on the edge of the rise. 

HASSAN DIAB

In October 2019, people from all communities came out on the streets. They raised their voices in unison against the purchasable government. The public forced the then PM to resign. Replaced by Hassan Diab, Lebanese had multiple expectations however after the strike of Covid-19 and Beirut blast, Diab also resigned and left the prosperity of the country in the hands of God. 

If we overlook China with suspicious eyes for a moment, then the spread of Corona seems like Natural Calamity. But do you see blasts as nature's rage? The Beirut Port, where the catastrophe occurred, is jointly managed by The Beirut Port Authority and The Custom Authority. The Beirut Port Authority is controlled by the loyalists of the PM and The Custom Authority is run by President's loyalists. There has always been a conflict over power, rights, and revenue. People are blaming this undesired amalgamation too for this bath of blood. Could it have been possible to save those lives?

Today people of Lebanon are screaming for justice. They are now standing hand in hand but have they chosen the ‘right time'? The only irony of this world is that people start to promote unity when they see their own interests. They stand to protest against governments when they start to run out of pockets. Otherwise, if they are getting money and the religious majority by simply sitting at home, they don't even bother to open their windows. This gust of the economic downturn could be prevented if this public had stood up like this at least 10 years ago. Because if they are capable of changing their Prime Minister, two times in six months now, they were capable of doing it back then too.