Lebanon must emulate Rafik Hariri, not just honor his memory

Lebanon must emulate Rafik Hariri, not just honor his memory

Wednesday's second anniversary of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination was another late-winter day in Beirut with hundreds of thousands of flag-waving Lebanese peacefully manifesting their sentiments on several counts. They affirmed their appreciation for the life and work of Hariri and those who worked with him to build and rebuild Lebanon and its institutions. They came from all corners of the land to defy and curse the hidden killers who have bombed and murdered 16 times in the last two years. Many hurled accusations against Syria and its friends in Lebanon. All of them expressed their strong support for the Lebanese-international tribunal to try the accused in Hariri's and other deaths. It was impressive, moving, and powerful. But in the final analysis, it did not change the score, or even shift the momentum of the political contest under way in the country. This was not a virtual demonstration, for real people and powerful emotions were involved. But it was - as every new mass demonstration by either side has become - a predictable show of strong numbers and sentiments, with little new impact.

The backing for the Siniora government and the March 14 movement emphasized again the substantial support that this political line enjoys among public opinion. This rally in the heart of Beirut, however, was different from the half-dozen previous ones of the same tone. This one occurred with huge barriers of barbed wire and army soldiers separating the demonstrators from the opposition demonstrators who have been camped in their urban tent village for over two months. Sensibly, all sides committed to a peaceful day. Luckily, neither an accident nor a local or non-Lebanese agent provocateur made mischief to spark violent confrontations between the opposing camps. The peaceful demonstration was in sharp contrast to the tense political atmosphere that defines Downtown Beirut, and all Lebanese politics.
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Wednesday was also a reminder, though, that special individuals can overcome the tribal and ideological deficiencies of the masses and the passions and occasional irrationalities of the crowd. Hariri was such a person, as both sides affirmed yesterday. The demonstrators said so with their presence and decorum, and Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said so in a newspaper commentary the same day - including explicitly remembering Hariri as the only person who bridged divides in the country, with Syria, and with the world. Amid the tensions symbolized by the troops and barricades in central Beirut, we must always remember that Hariri is adulated because he was a nation-builder. He worked quietly to build human capabilities, and was a catalyst for constructing a good and productive society, unlike many of the politicians today who seem to relish frolicking in the mud of gutter politics and scathing personal accusations.

People on both sides of the barbed wire want the killers of Hariri and the others who have died here brought to justice. They also both want to see Lebanon's politicians get down from their bully pulpits and instead get to work on building a modern state. Some conciliatory words amid the rancor yesterday perhaps offer a bit of hope. More hope will come, though, from everyone emulating Hariri's record of building a new country, rather than merely fondly recalling his name and character.