14 July 2009
Editorial
The passing of Amin al-Hafez, Lebanon's would-be prime minister in the 1970s, gives us pause as we reflect on someone who was synonymous with two things: "not becoming" premier, and always remaining a symbol of moral rectitude. When faced with the fierce opposition of the Sunni clerical establishment in 1973, Hafez opted out of the game and the entire process of forming a Cabinet in our lamentable, sect- and clan-dominated political system.
Ironically, he was appointed to his post by a traditional za'im, Suleiman Franjieh, who also gave us the "youth" Cabinet of 1970 but was unable to see through a second, non-traditional choice.
Hafez decided to remain above the parochial world of political deal-making at the time, although he certainly could have had a prominent role in Lebanon's history, as an ally of Yasser Arafat in the tumultuous 1970s.
It was in the nature of Amin al-Hafez to take such a principled moral stand and not waver, as evidenced by his later political career, as a long-standing representative of his native city, Tripoli, an MP during throughout the lost years of civil war, as well as the early years of post-conflict reconstruction.
Lebanon has had countless martyrs to politics: people whose deaths are blamed on Israel, or Syria, or others. But Hafez was one of those rarest of Lebanese creatures: a martyr who lost "only" his political life, and for the noblest of causes.
By permanently bowing out of consideration for the post of prime minister, Hafez has served, and will continue to serve, as a point of reference for us. He might have been under the radar for many observers of Lebanese politics, but he's the kind of person who suddenly springs into existence when it's required.
This happens when one pauses and reflects, and seeks to understand where the border lies: the border between playing and not playing the same old game.
Such a fate can be common for those who are ahead of their time: Hafez was committed to a Lebanon of plurality and democracy, as well as to its Arab identity the kind of principles we sorely need today.
His own family is an extension of this love of country and nation; Hafez made contributions to politics, his late wife Laila to the world of literature, and son Ramzi to the world of the media, as the publisher of Lebanon Opportunities.
Amin al-Hafez didn't waver on his principles: re-forming and re-shaping our political system, using a secular approach to arrive at a civil state.
He'll be remembered at every time of moral crisis, when one needs to recall what it means to stick to one's principles, and what it truly means to be committed to advancing the causes of the Arab world.
Copyright The Daily Star 2009.
