Democratic Palestine : 7 (ص 10)
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- عنوان
- Democratic Palestine : 7 (ص 10)
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Announced in Lebanon
On October 9th, Walid Jumblatt, leader of the Progressive
Socialist Party, called a press conference to announce the for-
mation of a preparatory committee for the establishment of a
national democratic fr ion. He described the prop-
1. Continuing the struggle against israeli occupation of south-
‘ern Lebanon; providing full support to the armed resistance.
2. Struggling to reestablish the unity of Lebanon, preserving its
schemes. :
3. Confirming and preserving Lebanon's Arab identity.
4. Conducting an independent and progressive foreign policy.
5. Structural democratic reforms in the overall political system,
‘and an overhaul of the armed forces according to patriotic prin-
ciples.
6. Fundamental social and economic reforms.
The preparatory committee was made up of representa-
tives of the Progressive Socialist Party, the Lebanese Com-
munist Party, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, the Arab
Organization in Lebanon, in addition to Najah Wakim, a prog-
ressive member of parliament.
| Sive and nationalist organizations, including the Amal Move-
‘ment. A transitional period would be used for further consulta-
tions on organizational aspects as well as the final draft of the
front's political platform.
‘osed program of action for the front, containg six main points: .
integrity and independence, and defeating all partition
Democratic Party, the Arab Socialist Union, the Baath Party |
but not necessarily on the task of democratic reforms, or on the
question of Lebanon's Arab identity in the manner that we
propose.
Consequently, our party held that the alternative to the
confessional character of the recent upheaval against Israeli
occupation and Phalangist domination, must be a democratic
secular one, based on a national democratic program which
seizes on the fact that such upheaval did in essence have a
democratic content despite its confessional appearance.If the
confessional dimension played a positive role in the anti-Israeli
and anti-Phalangist struggle so far, its potential has peaked,
and it will certainly begin to play a regressive role should it
remain the driving force. The thesis that the best that can be
achieved at this stage is reforms based on confessional redis-
tribution of power, is a fundamentally wrong one that risks
extending and perpetuating the Phalangists’ ‘Maronite’ domi-
nance, and thus perpetuating Lebanon's division rather than
Promoting its unification. By contrast, a democratic approach,
which seeks to do away with confessionalism altogether, will
succeed in achieving the tasks of liberation, unification and
democratic reform.
Accordingly, our party proposed to its allies, that share an
interest in such an approach, a program for the National Demo-
cratic Front. This program was not simply proposed for internal
consultations. Rather we invited mass participation in its
development. On the 1st of May, during a large rally called by
our party and with the participation of representatives from the
Baath Party Organization, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party,
the Progressive Socialist Party and the Amal Movement, we
publicly presented the proposed program for the National
Democratic Front, centered on six major points: the liberation
10
of the South, the unification of Lebanon, Lebanon's Arab iden-
tity, an independent foreign policy, political reforms based on
the cancellation of the confessional system, and social and
economic reforms.
It is worth noting that our party has expressed reserva-
tions about the manner in which the National Democratic Front
was actually announced. We had believed that prior to
announcing the founding of the Front, there should have been
further, extensive consultations in order to broaden participa-
tion in the formulation of the political program and other
aspects of the Front’s work. Since then, some right-wing forces
Membership in the front was left open to all other progres- | gue
’ -
Southerners protest in the face of the occupsers.
have embarked on a campaign against the National Democra-
tic Front, instigating some nationalist forces against it by pre-
tending that they had been purposely excluded from participa-
tion. Our party had the view that the announcement should
have been preceded by broader consultations as well as more
mass mobilization. Today, in fact, we are facing some difficul-
ties as a result. There are those who try to portray the National
Democratic Front as an anti-Mostem coalition, while in reality
the very program and objectives of the Front are fully compati-
ble with the objectives of the nationalist Islamic forces fighting
against Israeli occupation and Phalangist domination. Others,
particularly in the capital, Beirut, are against the National
Democratic Front, because they have a narrow interest in
maintaining the organizational disunity and decentralization of
the national and progressive movement; instead they are cal-
ling for organization on the city or regional level.
To confront this, we in the Party believe that we need to
broaden the base of support for the National Democratic Front,
explaining to other potential participants why such a front is
needed and involving them in the decision-making process.
We do not see the National Democratic Front as an alternative
to the broad national political work, but rather as a structure
that will accomodate this work and develop it. We are hopeful
that soon other parties will choose to join the Front, and that our
cooperation with the Amal Movement will advance our national
struggle. - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 7
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