User:Karinio2/Take Back Parliament إسترجعوا البرلمان

Take Back Parliament إسترجعوا البرلمان Lebanon (TBP) is a group of Lebanese women and men who met in various civil initiatives and organizations – and also on social media – who have come together to create an alternative political campaign for the 2013 elections.

After being tired of the polarization of March 8/14 and the total disconnect and inefficiency of the Lebanese Parliament from the Lebanese daily lives. After being tired of sectarianism and its paralyzing effect on social justice demands.

Take Back Parliament إسترجعوا البرلمان is a young movement that wants to change this country.

The plan, in a nutshell is to run a new democratic campaign for the 2013 elections with new candidates that look a lot more like the people than like millionaires and warlords: youth, women, workers, thinkers, doers. The more important part of the campaign is raising a different kind of political awareness in Lebanon in order not to have 4 more years of the same corruption.

Our project
"It is clear that we, the people, need to take back Parliament from the claws of the zo3ama, millionaires, and warlords. It is clear that all political parties in Lebanon are too sectarian and corrupt to change anything. We are stuck. We can dream of a revolution in the streets. Or we can dream of a revolution at the voting ballots.

The Lebanese Parliament does not exist so that the rich feudal lords can become richer and enforce their control over people. It exists to legislate laws that protect the people, ensure equality, and develop our economy and culture. Clearly, it has been doing none of that for decades now. Let’s take it back.

Despite the corruption and inefficiency of the electoral system, we can still create a third option. Despite the sectarian division of the districts and the confessional quota of the seats, we can still run with an agenda to change this. Let’s elect new, qualified, inspiring people to Parliament. Let’s create a national coalition of top-notch candidates who support a platform of secularism & civil laws and socio-economic justice. Let’s vote for independent candidates who have fresh new ideas and commitments. Let’s support the new talents who usually have no chance: the women, the youth, the workers, the ones who have never had a relative in Parliament. Let’s hold our representatives accountable. Let’s revolutionize the system. Let’s run a campaign that will astonish generations. Let’s remember forever that summer we took back Parliament – against all odds, when nobody believed it was possible! Makes you a little nervous, doesn’t it? Could it really happen? No. Surely, it is impossible. Or is it? Maybe? If we work hard enough? No… what is this naïve unrealistic dream, these people obviously don’t know shit about politics. But wait. Can we gather enough heart and intelligence to face the billions of dollars in bribes? Can we break that barrier of fear and intimidation? Can we make our people believe in their power again? We’re just like you – uncertain. But the mere thought of engaging in a real battle for Parliament in 2013 (instead of getting depressed) makes our hearts dance. So we decided to put up this page and ask our fellow Lebanese: are we ready? What do you think? Are we ready to find and encourage capable candidates? Are we ready for new MPs we can hold accountable? Are we ready to take back Parliament from the grip of corruption? Are we ready to organize a grassroots campaign all across Lebanon? Are we ready for a third option? You have the answer!"

The Work Values of our Campaign
"In August 2012, we held many introductory meetings for individuals interested in thinking about taking back parliament. We have decided to nominate new candidates for the 2013 elections on the basis of a progressive electoral platform and an alternative way of working. It was clear to us that the way we work is equally as important as the issues we stand for. Here are the values of practice that we have decided on:"

Zero Budget & Zero Corruption
"We have adopted a zero budget strategy for this campaign, which means that we won’t be hiring any staff. Our endeavor is completely dependent on volunteers and small donations from each other. We will contribute our cars for transportation, our homes around the country for headquarters, and our cooking for food. For necessary expenses, we will ask for donations from you to cover the bills or for in-kind donations. We won’t be piling money up in a bank account and then deciding what to do with it. We will have complete transparency of our accounts. Corruption is a difficult monster to fight so we need to have mechanisms in place to prevent it. To filter out potential MP nominees who might be power- or money-hungry, every candidate supported by this campaign will legally pledge to donate their MP’s salary to university scholarships. Our MPs will also lobby for policies and laws that cut down Parliamentary salaries and benefits from the ridiculous numbers they’re at today."

Direct Democracy
"We believe in direct democracy as a system that ensures the significance of every individual’s participation in decision-making. We have adopted direct democracy as our internal way of organizing and promote it as a viable democratic system for Lebanon. So when we’re putting forward nominations for Parliament, we won’t be selecting representatives and then watching them from afar. Every member of our campaign will be fully engaged in the decisions of the group – whether in Parliament or outside of it. Direct democracy also encourages referendums, people’s votes on political deadlocks, and advocates for deliberation and discussion based on objective scientific and logical analysis as a method to reach a decision within a party. Therefore, within this new coalition of ours, people will form lobbies and interest groups."

Accountability
"It is quite obvious that sectarian loyalties have made MPs immune to accountability in Lebanon. Accountability is perhaps the only weapon people can use to monitor an MP’s work. Our campaign is built on open, honest, and friendly accountability mechanisms of individuals, groups, and decisions within the group. Hold us accountable always."

Grassroots Organizing
"We believe in a bottom-up approach to political change in Lebanon. Secularism and social justice are intimidating to our communities because the political elite have invested so much money and services in maintaining the status quo and creating the illusion that it is our only livable option. We won’t seek mainstream media campaigns or empty propaganda to get our message across and encourage people to vote for the alternative. We will knock on doors and take the time to speak to people individually."

Practice that reflects Principles
"When we take a stand against sectarianism, it means we do so in the practice of our campaign as well – which is difficult to do since the whole system we are engaging with is confessionally segregated. You won’t see us promoting the sectarian affiliation of our candidates, or talking to one community in Lebanon and not the other. We won’t be calculating the chances of winning based on which seat is more strategic. We won’t be buying or selling our votes in return for seats. If we believe in plurality of opinions in Lebanon, we must reflect this in our internal organizing. We will not ignore or be quiet about an issue because it is unpopular or could cost us support."

Open Source Government
"This is a campaign that utilizes open source internet tools to make decisions and promote direct democracy. Everything we do is public. We believe in the spirit of open source and in its methodology so that no small elite group controls decisions or opinions in this campaign and so that the public is always welcome to contribute and critique."

Faith in the Impossible / Fun
"Since the 50s, all similar attempts to liberate Lebanese Parliament and politics from sectarianism have failed drastically. That often leaves us sad and depressed. Our project might seem impossible but we trust in the power of our people. We won’t let disappointments and challenges get to us. We don’t give up. We learn from our mistakes and push forward… this year, next year, and for years to come. If we’re not having fun, we’re not doing it right."