Bahaa Al-Hariri's statement ... the implications of timing and content

Wassim Al-Zuhairi - Beirut

As the Lebanese economic, living and health crises continue, in light of the continued efforts to combat the emerging Corona virus (Covid-19) and to prevent its spread, political circles have been busy with a statement by Bahaa Rafic Hariri, brother of the former Prime Minister, leader of the Future Movement, Saad Hariri, posing a series of questions about the timing, content and backgrounds.

Bahaa Al-Hariri, who has been living outside Lebanon for years and far, expressed domestic political equations in his statement, expressing his support for what he described as the demands of the revolution to achieve a fundamental change in the structure of the Lebanese system to restore the dignity of citizens lost by the political system, as he put it.

Bahaa Al-Hariri added that after the assassination of his father Rafik Al-Hariri in 2005, the majority of politicians and parties accumulated funds at the expense of the country and its interests, and formed alliances that were the victims of Lebanon, its people, and international confidence, as he put it.

Many considered that the first target in a statement by Bahaa Al-Hariri was his brother Saad, while the Future Movement was not late in responding to some of his representatives and leaders.

In this context, MP Walid Al-Bairini considered that Bahaa Rafic Hariri - through his statement - altered history and contributed to what he described as stabbing Saad Hariri, who is trying more than one to assassinate him politically, according to his expression.

In his response to the statement, a source in the Future Movement said that the size of the current and its leader, Saad Hariri, is great, while the Lebanese heard Bahaa al-Hariri only through the media.

The source added to Al-Jazeera Net that it was too late for Bahaa Al-Hariri to announce that he was on the side of the Lebanese people after the serious events that passed on the country. The source saw in the Future Movement that the data indicate the absence of any external support for Bahaa Hariri.

Rehabilitation 
For his part, lawyer and activist Nabil Halabi near Bahaa Hariri said that the recent Lebanese citizen came out of the family abaya.

Al-Halabi added to Al-Jazeera Net that Bahaa Al-Hariri is a successful businessman and has deep political ties. He also seeks to change what he called the corrupt political class that produced new contractors, as he put it.

Al-Halabi said that Baha Al-Hariri's praise of the popular uprising constitutes a confirmation of his support for a new political scene and social contract that restores consideration to the rule of institutions and law.

He said that the statement of Bahaa Al-Hariri included criticism of the previous alliances that aborted the March 14 uprising last year and of all the corruption system that allowed the conclusion of special deals, as he put it.

Serious Errors
In turn, political analyst Khaled Mumtaz said that President Saad Hariri committed what he described as grave mistakes that weakened his position and diminished his political and popular strength.

He added that Saad Hariri's first mistakes began after he agreed to give Hezbollah and its allies a third of the ministers in the government he headed in 2008, which allowed them to bring down the government later.

Mumtaz considered that the departure of Saad Hariri from Lebanon after the overthrow of his government and his stability outside the country for nearly three years left a void within the Sunni arena.

He believed that the conclusion of Saad Hariri an agreement with the Free Patriotic Movement led Michel Aoun to the presidency of the republic, and pushed the members of the Sunni community to feel the weakness of the prime minister's position because of the rule of the President of the Republic governing the basic decisions.

Taking advantage of an opportunity
For his part, the researcher at the Carnegie Institute, Muhannad Hajj, saw that the recent Bahaa Hariri movement had brought about the movement of what he called "political entrepreneurs" with the aim of taking advantage of a particular opportunity.

Haji Ali said that Bahaa Egypt was determined to enter political life, but the way to enter it was wrong, as it was not well marketed, whether through the media or in other steps.

He said that Bahaa Al-Hariri does not exist on Lebanese soil and cannot effect change from afar, stressing that the Lebanese political scene is complex.