Rafic Hariri's Memorial          By: Dr.  Clovis Maksoud  glsouth@american.edu   Feb 18, 2007

Address by Clovis Maksoud on the Occasion of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri’s Memorial

Washington , DC
February 18, 2007

Today we celebrate the life of Rafic Hariri and reflect on the meaning of his legacy and seek to define its ongoing relevance to the future of Lebanon . His creative commitment to render Lebanon ’s experiment in development and resistance the underpinning of its renaissance and a paradigm to be emulated constitute the precursor of what ought to be throughout the Arab patrimony.

His martyrdom on February 14, 2005 traumatized the entire citizenry of Lebanon and the trauma of his aborted life brought about a sense of shock that induced the international community—represented by the United Nations (UN)—to treat his assassination as a serious challenge and threat to regional security and peace.

The consensual rally on the second anniversary in Beirut four days ago demonstrated how vivid is the collective memory of this humanitarian statesman, who during the reckless conflict during the late 1970s and 1980s made investments in generous scholarships for the emerging Lebanese generations; thus signaling his unflinching optimism in a Lebanon whose program is sustainable and its civil peace is not solely restored but built to serve and enlighten.

In Beirut, last Wednesday, his son—the leader of Future Trend—encapsulated the elements of the strategy that will insure the national reconciliation that continues to elude the divided political establishment when Saad el Hariri emphasized the absolute national need to prioritize the Lebanese international court to bring about the truth that heals the lingering wounds; but in the light of the subsequent assassinations of Samir Qasir, Gibran Tuni, George Hawi, Pierre Gemayel as well as the innocent students and workers in the Metn region, that the court in its authority would shield not only the personnel of the political sector, but also the civilian population of Lebanon. The insistence on the tribunal is no longer solely to investigate, adjudicate and issue its judgments, but to also be an effective deterrent for whomever plans to permit the abominable crimes that seek to scare and thus inhibit the democratic freedoms, restrict Lebanon ’s independence, and constrain its sovereign prerogatives.

Lebanon , as well as the Arab region, is at a crucial crossroad. Perhaps our generation has not been up to the expectations of the Lebanese people and the Arabs in general. Perhaps now is the moment to enliven the hopefully resumed dialogue among the sectarian leaders of Lebanon with credible representatives of the dynamic, growing, and active civil society so their input can cement further national unity. This means that the exclusive prerogatives of leaders of sectarian communities—with all due respect to their endeavors—can no longer monopolize the dialogue and its outcome, neither the decision- and policy-making of Lebanon . You would notice that I say that civil society—being by definition non-sectarian—can cushion, not replace, for the foreseeable future at least—the present sectarian structure of Lebanon ’s establishment. To this end, the legacy of resistance, development and renaissance of Rafic Hariri’s martyrdom will grow further in empowering Lebanon ’s citizenry and restoring the reality of Pope John Paul’s definition of Lebanon as the message of human development and humane practices.

It must be presumed that all Lebanese are eager for an effective tribunal, thus we must ensure that it is not and should not be a matter of difference, let alone controversy. If this is ascertained, then the tribunal will be more effective, more judicious, more credible. This will definitely expedite the process to determine the truth and penalize the culprits. This can realize—as Mr. Saad Hariri has indicated in his address to the multitude of celebrant-mourners—the reconciliation and the national mechanism of governance that emerges in the aftermath.

Lebanon cannot and should not allow its historic commitment to freedom and its profound attachment to the values of human rights to be vulnerable to abuse and thus to the erosion of Lebanon ’s potential for total democracy.

Rafic Hariri’s martyrdom should be the constant reminder of the Lebanese people’s oneness. His martyrdom is and always will be the harbinger of hope and his memory—a blessing for all those who have been recipients of his statesmanship and graced by knowing him, and I am sure, a blessing to Lebanon ’s generations to come.