Sami Gemayel: Time has come for accountability and change, we decided to move the confrontation to a new stage

Nov 21/2020

Lebanon - "Fate and history insist on confirming the link between the Kataeb Party's history and the independence of Lebanon," said Kataeb Party Chief, resigned MP Sami Gemayel, during an online Party meeting held today marking the anniversary of its foundation and the martyrdom of former minister and MP Pierre Gemayel.

Gemayel stressed that the time has come for accountability and change. "Lebanon is going through a most difficult phase and we are at crossroads, but the time is not for us to think about surrender. There are many countries other than Lebanon that have gone through economic and existential crises, solved their problems and built their country again," he affirmed.

Gemayel explained that they have proposed a large part of the solutions required and put in place economic action plans for the country's advancement; however, each solution attempt is unfortunately faced with two major barriers: the weapons issue and the corrupt ruling system.

"To the leadership of Hezbollah, I say: You plunge Lebanon into conflicts it has no interest in; isolating it and dragging it into sanctions, preventing change, and protecting corruption through your rejection of elections. Your weapons are the opposite of pluralism, economy and stability; your weapons are divisive and keep the Lebanese away and render them isolated...The Lebanese will not accept to coexist with your weapons that are destructive to the present and the future," Gemayel underlined.

He added: "To the political system, I say: In 2016, through the presidential settlement, you delivered the decision to Hezbollah, in solidarity and collaboration, in exchange for bits of authority...You destroyed the economy, concluded deals, disrupted the country, dragged it into complete collapse, and planted your henchmen within administrations that you turned into hotbeds of corruption...The Central Bank of Lebanon became your fund, and today you refuse investigation into its accounts. Today you distribute roles, and in the end you fend for one another."

"The time has come for accountability and change, and we have decided to move the confrontation to a new stage. Lebanon cannot tolerate more and cannot continue to live in the temporary, and it is time for us to unite," Gemayel underscored.

"No one will help us if we do not stand up and demand our right to a decent living, and we will break down barriers and unify ranks for the sake of confrontation," he assured.

"The Kataeb is working with all callers for change, sovereign strugglers and groups away from selfishness because confrontation requires us to be a 'one heart' in order to achieve change," vowed Gemayel.

"The Kataeb project is not one of a resistance society that thrives on war, destruction and weapons. Our project is a project of peace, openness, culture and art based on human joy," he reassured.

"The time has come to have a break, to take a chance and build a country and a future for our children with culture, development, openness and peace. It is our right to live in peace!" accentuated Gemayel.