The head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gibran Bassil, during the annual national conference, stated that "our political work requires a lot of communication with people, both from within the movement and the country and beyond, at all levels, and this effort corrects the image that has been distorted due to the media assassination we are experiencing." He asked, "What do you want us to do when Christians see others preferring the unity of their sect over national unity? They chant at demonstrations in the name of their sect? They refuse to allow even the smallest employee from their sect to be touched? They exonerate the biggest corrupt individuals from justice? They shamelessly accuse us of sectarianism when we demand balance in governance?"
Bassil emphasized that "we are owners of a choice, not a bet, and our choice is the state and living together in it with full partnership; we do not gamble on who will win in Lebanon or in the region. Why is our choice the state? Because the state unites us, organizes our lives, and prevents the disintegration of society and institutions and the undermining of national unity." He continued: "For this reason, we propose three pairs: 1 - the state and living together - 2 - unity and partnership - 3 - national sovereignty and the defensive strategy. The state is our goal, while power is a means; the goal is the benefit of the nation while preserving the movement within it. When power conflicts with the goal, we abandon it and go into opposition. The only danger of being in opposition is that we leave our pioneering role representing an essential component in the country – and if someone else represents it effectively, there is no problem. We are not with the idea of remaining in power at any cost, but we are also not with the option of being in opposition under any circumstances."
Bassil noted that "when Iran and Saudi Arabia were fighting, and the Gulf was clashing with Syria on its land, we were in favor of understanding between Sunnis and Shiites to prevent the conflict from exploding in Lebanon. Question: today, they are reconciling in Syria, Lebanon, and the whole region. Do you want us to be against that?" He added, "We are Easterners, and Lebanon barely accommodates us! We should be economically and culturally open to our entire Eastern, Gulf, and Arab environment, and even beyond that, to Iranians, Turks, and the Mediterranean."
He indicated that "we agreed with Hezbollah on a signed document that respects partnership, parity, and consensual democracy, which allowed us to correct political and administrative representation. When the party backtracked on its commitment to partnership, we did not hesitate to say 'no'; we are in favor of understanding with Washington and the party, but not at the expense of partnership."
He added: "Christians face a significant challenge, which is to cement shared parity. The Taif Accord confirmed parity, but we want it to be real, not merely numerical and formal. President Michel Aoun and the movement corrected the representation, and we want to entrench that in all terms, not just one term; we want a president who carries this trust."
Bassil appealed to the Grand Mufti and leadership in the Sunni community, urging Mr. Hassan Nasrallah for his honesty, and Speaker Nabih Berri for his wisdom, should he choose to employ it when he decides. He also called on Walid Jumblatt and Taymour Jumblatt for their understanding of the mountain, and all Lebanese leadership to not compromise balanced and proportional partnership.
He reiterated his request for the patriarch, who is entrusted with the glory of Lebanon, to "gather Christian political leaders and there is no reason not to meet." He said: "For these leaders, this time is not for rhetoric or the hostility shown by some; there are no elections tomorrow, and in fact, no one can eliminate anyone else – that is a delusion! Those who think they achieved wins by erasing others within their sect from the 70s through the 80s up to the 90s should remember and learn that the result was a loss for Christians and their weakening without any gain for themselves."
