The Other Northern Winds...
When asked about whom he will nominate for the premiership, a loyalist MP answered wryly, in a reference to Karami: 'The wind is Northern'.
Today, the pro Syrian demonstration in Tripoli might be so large that it could actually dwarf the Beirut one.
When Mr. Omar Karami resigned under pressure, Tripoli was all but deadlocked in unrest and riots.
Should we conclude from the above that Tripoli is a hopeless case for the opposition?
It is tempting to dismiss the Sunni north as a strong Loyalist bastion. If Sunni Beirut and Saida joined the opposition because of their strong affectionate ties with Hariri, why should 'Tarablos al sham' (as Tripoli was previously known)?
Because of, among other reasons, the efforts of one person: Musbah al Ahdab.
Heir of an old political family in Tripoli, Mr. Ahdab abandoned the Tripoli political mainstream to join the calls for Syria to quit Lebanon.
Even before Hariri's murder, he took stands that any northern observer would consider imprudent at best.
When he was first elected as an MP, his critics dismissed his mandate as nothing but the result of his dashing good looks and some infatuated 'bird-brained' female voters.
How wrong they were. Underneath his soft-spoken style and snazzy attire lies a shrewd and cunning politician; with a Jumblatesque radar for political winds, he knew when to ally with Hariri's future movements, when to dissociate himself from them (while still making under-the-table electoral deals with them) and finally when to join the anti Syrian opposition.
It takes considerable courage for a Sunni to stand up to the Syrians. Remember, This is a regime that is known for its legendary brutality against the Sunnis, From the Hamah massacre to the assassination of the mufti Hassan Khaled to the assassination of Hariri. Still, Musbah al Ahdab was the first Sunni to join the opposition and the Bristol gathering. He voted 'No' for extending Mr. Emile Lahhoud's term as president, thus joining Annahar Newspaper's tiny 'Honor List'. Mr. Ahdab gained so much popularity that, a few days before Hariri's assassination, The Tripoli block, made of veteran Tripoli MPs, declared an electoral alliance with him.
Mr. Ahdab is the first notable in Tripoli to break the wall of fear against the Syrians. He has unleashed a political snowball, and lots of previously notorious pro-Syrians are now cozying up to him... He sparked the change of the political winds in Tripoli. This is why a lot of people think that he'd make a good assassination target for the Syrians.
As you watch the huge pro-Syrian demonstration today, remember that the people who will vote for Mr. Ahdab are probably going to have the last laugh...
PS: Although I'm from Tripoli and I'm voting for mr Ahdab, I am not in any away affiliated with him and have never communicated with him or with his aids.
(This opinion piece also appears on the beirut spring )
Today, the pro Syrian demonstration in Tripoli might be so large that it could actually dwarf the Beirut one.
When Mr. Omar Karami resigned under pressure, Tripoli was all but deadlocked in unrest and riots.
Should we conclude from the above that Tripoli is a hopeless case for the opposition?
It is tempting to dismiss the Sunni north as a strong Loyalist bastion. If Sunni Beirut and Saida joined the opposition because of their strong affectionate ties with Hariri, why should 'Tarablos al sham' (as Tripoli was previously known)?
Because of, among other reasons, the efforts of one person: Musbah al Ahdab.
Heir of an old political family in Tripoli, Mr. Ahdab abandoned the Tripoli political mainstream to join the calls for Syria to quit Lebanon.
Even before Hariri's murder, he took stands that any northern observer would consider imprudent at best.
When he was first elected as an MP, his critics dismissed his mandate as nothing but the result of his dashing good looks and some infatuated 'bird-brained' female voters.
How wrong they were. Underneath his soft-spoken style and snazzy attire lies a shrewd and cunning politician; with a Jumblatesque radar for political winds, he knew when to ally with Hariri's future movements, when to dissociate himself from them (while still making under-the-table electoral deals with them) and finally when to join the anti Syrian opposition.
It takes considerable courage for a Sunni to stand up to the Syrians. Remember, This is a regime that is known for its legendary brutality against the Sunnis, From the Hamah massacre to the assassination of the mufti Hassan Khaled to the assassination of Hariri. Still, Musbah al Ahdab was the first Sunni to join the opposition and the Bristol gathering. He voted 'No' for extending Mr. Emile Lahhoud's term as president, thus joining Annahar Newspaper's tiny 'Honor List'. Mr. Ahdab gained so much popularity that, a few days before Hariri's assassination, The Tripoli block, made of veteran Tripoli MPs, declared an electoral alliance with him.
Mr. Ahdab is the first notable in Tripoli to break the wall of fear against the Syrians. He has unleashed a political snowball, and lots of previously notorious pro-Syrians are now cozying up to him... He sparked the change of the political winds in Tripoli. This is why a lot of people think that he'd make a good assassination target for the Syrians.
As you watch the huge pro-Syrian demonstration today, remember that the people who will vote for Mr. Ahdab are probably going to have the last laugh...
PS: Although I'm from Tripoli and I'm voting for mr Ahdab, I am not in any away affiliated with him and have never communicated with him or with his aids.
(This opinion piece also appears on the beirut spring )
posted by Mustapha at 11:32 PM
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