By Philippe Asseily
Just as we were celebrating Independence 05' here comes ‘Ammiyyat 05'. The purpose of this blog being to put current events in historical perspective, a brief look at our past is in order. In the early parts of the XIX Th century, the Maronite population of central Mount Lebanon rebelled against the authority of Bashir II and of their feudal lords. This movement was not directed against foreign interference, but rather against a ruling class that was not deemed to represent the commoners, and who was accused of over taxing them.The first ‘Ammiyyats in the 1820’s (those of Antelias and Lehfed) were organized by Bishop Youssef Estephan. More followed in the 1840’s, as well as in 1857, when Tannios Shahine led a bloody revolt in Kiserwan. The movements ultimately failed because the Maronites of the Metn and of Kiserwan could not rally other factions to their cause. The Maronites to their south were dominated by the Druze, and those to the north being organized in clans only offered limited support to the popular movement. As for the other communities of Mount Lebanon, not only did they not help, but they even participated in the repression of the revolts. What happened this past Sunday is nothing short of an electoral ‘Ammiyyat, with its rejection of the traditional leadership of the central area of the mountain in favor of populist candidates. It remains to be seen if it is a localized phenomenon, or if it can take a national character. A failure to reach a wider dimension will spell its doom in the medium term and create more problems than solutions. It is now up to its leadership to show the wisdom and the capacity to make it relevant to the majority of the Lebanese population. Otherwise, its supporters will be left with only two alternatives : whether to migrate to Canada or to Australia.
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