The government is responsible for the media of its country and its resistance

Written by Nasser Kandil,

The Lebanese government finds it easy to allege of weakens in front of any maturity and compensates by using the phrases of solidarity, condemnation, and the denunciation as if it is a political party or a media figure, moreover sometimes it provides an explanation of what has happened as a political or a technical analyst, the government is a decision , authority and  processes, as in the issue of the garbage the government was not ashamed of slapping, starting from its president as any citizen that curses the negligence , idleness and the irresponsibility, to the extent that you think that the Prime Minister or any Minister that is responsible for his ministry an oppressed citizen that deserves to be united in solidarity instead of beholding him the responsibility , and those who knew the details of the release of the kidnapped soldiers knew that the government as a government has united in solidarity, it condemned and at the end it accepted the congratulations.

The issue of blocking Al-Manar TV of Arabsat satellite is a political issue par excellence, and it is not permitted for any rational to hear the speech of the Lebanese Minister of Information about that it is a contract between two companies that has no relation with the Lebanese government. Because any rational will not accept to overlook or to enlist this issue in the profit and loss box regarding the accounts of the strugglers in Lebanon with their regional relationships, thus the issue becomes by a Saudi decision a profit for a Lebanese team that is supported by Saudi Arabia as long as it is a loss for a Lebanese team which has a political dispute.

At the time when Al Mostaqbal Movement the partner of Hezbollah in the government calls Hezbollah for a partnership in the presidential settlement, which it says that it has granted it the support and the coverage from Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia chases Hezbollah in old issue that are related to many years from chasing the expatriates and executing their transfers towards blocking Al-Manar. All of these are just to punish it on its resisting choice, and to avenge of a victory that was not on Saudi Arabia but on Israel, and a punishment on proving the ridiculousness of giving the name of the adventures on those who are proven that are capable of achieving victory, the question is how the revenge takes place after ten years at the time of promoting a settlement which is intended to be granted to Hezbollah as a good Saudi gift, and a grace that aims to the goodness of the Lebanese people ?

The government as a national partnership background is the place which is supposed that the national solidarity is showing through, thus every political team has its privacy outside it, what the government asked for is starting from three elements that put the issue of blocking Al-Manar at the forefront of its priorities, it is an issue that is related to the freedom of media, the slogan which Lebanon adopts it as a dignity, it is an issue that is related to the resistance which none of any Lebanese team declares that it is a matter of dispute, but they agree theoretically despite the debate on the future of its weapons that it is a source of common pride for all the Lebanese people, moreover, it is a matter that is related to the national reconciliation and the spirit of solidarity which must be shown by a team that has the governmental majority , and which has come with a big smile through its presidential maneuver toward Hezbollah waiting for its applause, so how could that or this be right since the expected solidarity is its governmental background, but its political ceiling at the majority team at the regional level is Saudi Arabia?

In politics the leader of the governmental and the parliamentary majority the Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri according to the considerations which are abbreviated by the decision of blocking Al-Manar  can consider this issue is a personal issue and to undertake it, even to interfere at the Saudi officials explaining the danger of the tempering into a matter that is related to the freedom of the Lebanese media and the resistance, putting his importance to achieve the safety in this issue by managing direct negotiations between Al-Manar and Arabsat company to develop a formal exit that face-saving to beat back of this decision.

The government cannot claim the disability here, and be adequate in best conditions of the positive speech about the commitment of Al-Manar of the Lebanese laws, it cannot ignore the decision –maker of blocking in response to the requirements of the political hypocrisy and the abdication of responsibility, the government must follow the following steps; the Lebanese Minister of Information on behalf of the Lebanese government and the Head of the National Council for Audiovisual media has to correspond with the Arabsat company to give the Ministry and the council a copy of the issue which caused of the decision of blocking according to the book of terms of broadcasting across Arabsat, and to inform the company that the Ministry on behalf of the government and the council and from the position of their responsibility for the Lebanese media, its performance and its reputation, and from the position of the responsibility for providing an Arab media background that corresponds with the global criteria, and  providing the background for the responsible liberties, they want to invite those who represent the company to visit Beirut to manage a meeting about this issue and to try to reach to a settlement for this issue or regarding the raised issues.

The call of the Ministry of Information and the National council together the media organizations to discuss the project of the satellites which the Lebanese channels are investing their frequencies, and to present a demand for renting a unified package entitled the bunch of Lebanon, which the Ministry of Communications which manages the broadcasting and the coordination of the frequencies can undertake the task of organizing its commercial and technical investments, where the Lebanese government is responsible for the performance of the channels on which they invest frequencies for its own account as long as they are committed to the Lebanese terms of satellite broadcasting and the Lebanese laws.

What is important is that the retirement of the role, the pleading of the lack of specialty and the weakness of trick are ridiculous pleas and are not worthy for those who take the charge.

Translated by Lina Shehadeh,