A member of the “Strong Republic” bloc, MP George Okeis, considered that “whoever thought that change was a push of a button was mistaken, for change is a snowball that grows. Whoever used to talk regarding state corruption and reform and raise resonant slogans in the election campaign was considered one of the bank of changers who do not accept the farm we live in.” In it,” noting that “Tuesday’s session was a rehearsal to prove where the majority is located, and it is the first test for the new MPs.”
He added in an interview with Radio Free Lebanon: “We fell as sovereign forces before this test in the presidential elections and were disappointed.”
He believed that there is a “deceitful team, the Free Patriotic Movement, which describes Berri as a thug and returns to ally himself with him in order to win more chairs,” noting that “the movement will comply with Dahiya’s orders by naming the prime minister.”
Okeis asserted that the forces are faithful to their principles, history and local and international discourse, which is their credit. He said, “We do not want to share this power and we do not accept the participation of this political group with an authority that does not give people their rights.”
Regarding the changers, he said: “They will wander until they reach a conviction that they are unable to change as long as there is a weapon in the hands of a group of the Lebanese, and they will eventually line up with the team of sovereigns, or else they will end up and they must be convinced that there is no coexistence between the state and the state.”
He continued, “The issue of the forces not nominating a personality for the presidency of the council was an attempt to show their goodwill towards these forces of change and to create an atmosphere of consensus between the multiple forces in front of a team that is one block that takes an operation order from the suburb and implements it.”
And he added: “We wanted the referendum to be from the elections to obtain two blocks: the Hezbollah block and the anti-Hezbollah block, but today we are faced with 3 blocks, namely Hezbollah and its allies, the Forces and its allies block, and another block of unknown balance that includes independents, changers and brigades whose positions cannot be determined.”
Okeis stressed the attempt to re-arrange and focus the majority, and “if it appears that it is still with the other team, it will inevitably be weak and need a lot of bargaining, and we promise the people that we will remain in the opposition and resist until the last breath. Many power options.
And on whether the forces are facing alone, Okeis considered that “the popular and legitimate extension is the one who determines whether the forces are alone, while the only one is actually the one who brought his first term with a national consensus and today has become an international punisher and begging for positions from Hezbollah.”
Regarding the parliamentary committees, he explained that “according to the hateful sectarian system, we are supposed to have 6 Christian and 6 Muslim committee heads, and the forces should not be satisfied with less than two basic committees, and any distribution that does not give the forces basic and non-essential committees is targeting their presence in Parliament and what was achieved in the elections.” .
He asserted that “there is a high degree of stability between the Progressive Socialist Forces and the forces, because what unites them in its moral value is much stronger than what separates them,” stressing “the necessity of forming a sovereign front consisting of the forces, the socialist, the battalions, Michel Moawad, Ashraf Rifi and Naama Ephraim quickly, which can form a point of attraction.” For all the deputies who live in a state of weightlessness.”
Regarding naming the prime minister, he said: “We do not count on any change in the new government, and we are in favor of fast binding parliamentary consultations and assigning a weighty personality to the stage. If there is a mandate without formation, this means a rule that floats the current government, even though it is constitutionally meaningless for this term.”
He revealed that “the forces will not participate in national unity governments, and any government whose decision is held by Hezbollah.” That he be satisfied with this will, just as we were satisfied with the election of Berri as the speaker of the council.”
Okeis explained that “we are faced with 3 scenarios: the first is that the 67 deputies are actually 67, and we name a sovereign and reformist president, and he presents formation decrees from those who have competence and competence to the President of the Republic, and the latter refuses to sign them and increases his record by a new exploit, which is not signing the decrees of forming a new government that the majority wants. The second scenario The forces are satisfied and they enter the unity government and that we register objections and they remain only on the minutes of the sessions.The third is in the event that the arrival of a figure with specifications that the forces are satisfied with is not guaranteed, then it is more useful for them to remain on the side of the opposition and work to monitor the ministers and put confidence in them.”
And he added: “Lebanon is governed only by democracy. We are once morest consensus on evil and harm, and Lebanon’s retreat, and if they are the majority, let them rule.” And Okais said: “We support changing every person who turns out to have influenced the management of the facility he took over. We do not protect anyone. He makes mistakes and must be held accountable. We are with a fair rescue plan approved by the IMF.”
Okeis regretted that “Israel has started drilling in the oil fields intertwined with Lebanon, while we are awaiting the decision of Hezbollah, which controls the file.”
