National Bloc: the actions of parties/sects are politically opportunistic and repressive
The Lebanese National Bloc Party warned of the recent suspicious activities in the past weeks, such as the use of force during the installation of high voltage lines in Mansouriyeh, and throughout the document leaks from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as waving the personal right in the case of the murder of Alaa Abi Faraj. The Bloc sees that these activities carry sectarian and repressive dimensions that run counter to Lebanon’s role and mission and to what its citizens aspire to.
In its statement, the National Bloc Party said that the raising of religious symbols such as crosses, and bringing the Maronite Patriarchy into the Mansourieyeh issue is a stark reminder of the red lines that sects place in the way of public authorities.
The Bloc considers that the use of a public security apparatus to interrogate Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff, and to investigate on the behalf of specific media outlet is an unacceptable practice that endangers the integrity and independence of media. This kind of behavior is way of evading responsibility and is in in direct violation of the most basic legal rules of a democratic culture.
As for Ministers Akram Shehayeb and Wael Abu Faour’s presenting a petition to President Michel Aoun to drop the personal right of the main suspect in the case of the murder of Alaa Abi Faraj, The National Bloc Party finds that this turns the country’s president into a lesser role of a tribal chief, and that this behavior makes Lebanon seem like a congregation of tribes looking for a chief to mediate their disagreements and keep the peace
The Bloc asserted that stirring sectarian feeling and inflaming sectarian tendencies by the different parties has reached scandalous heights, and is used to cover the collective failure of the government to manage vital files such as those of the electricity and waste of public funds.
The Bloc concluded its statement by stressing that Lebanese citizens will not fall into these traps that are attempting to portray them as isolated groups that are not familiar with the rule of law and concepts of true citizenship.