Ghassan Tueni: In the Name of a New Democratic

DawnNajib Mikati is a credible, serious and determined prime minister-designate, who has chosen "Sunrise" as the slogan for the first Cabinet after the murder of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, Ghassan Tueni observed in his weekly column Monday.But for Mikati to succeed in his mission, he needs a Cabinet that recognizes the new reality in Lebanon and reads and understands regional and international developments, An Nahar's editor-in-chief wrote.

The new Cabinet has to address the new political reality that favors the opposition, and Mikati needs to build on Rafik Hariri's legacy of "creativity" and "embark on a major overture or giant project" to recover the eroded confidence in Lebanon, he added.Also, Mikati has to pave the way for "free, honest and transparent elections under international supervision whose ultimate aim is to rebuild the institutions that have been torn apart and desecrated by the security regime, or rather by a mafia-style fraternal regime," Tueni opined.

A key challenge to the designated premier is his ability to push aside "the shadow government" of security commanders, who are implicated, in one way or another, in Hariri's assassination, said the author.He cautioned that if the "shadow government" was not dismantled, it would one day rise against the government and cause a "real revolution." Another goodwill gesture would be the "full and unequivocal" cooperation with the international panel charged with investigating the Feb. 14 bombing that killed Hariri, said Tueni.

Instilling confidence in the government would require a swift appointment of new directors for the security departments, and empowering the Lebanese Army to assume the security duties, irrespective of the doubts cast by the "bad omen" outgoing Defense Minister, Abdel Rahim Murad, about the military's abilities.Turning to relations with Syria, Tueni suggested the new government build on the Taif Accord and open bilateral negotiations that aim to achieve economic unity, while at the same time setting up a united Syrian-Lebanese team to negotiate with Israel.

Tueni concluded that unless these steps are taken, Mikati would not succeed in his mission. "If this is not the path to the sunrise slogan Mikati has raised, then what sun are we expecting to shine?"