Debate Sunk to new lows

As a breed, politicians make poor sympathy figures, even when abuse is being heaped on them. It is they, after all, who chose to become public figures.

Nonetheless, Lebanese politicians never tire of complaining about the mistreatment to which they are subjected by the media. The election campaign leading up to the parliamentary elections on May 6 brought the process to a fever pitch, with both incumbents and aspirants from all parties ritualistically expressing bitter resentment at the sordid allegations directed at them by their opponents and amplified in print, on the Internet, and over the airwaves.

In a sense, they have a point: the levels of coverage, debate and analysis have sunk to new lows, even for the Arab world’s most famously free but equally vile press.

But who cares if they’re right about the particular transgressions of captive media outlets that their fathers helped to build and which they have strived to maintain?

Imagine what would happen if the media started to play by such rules: “Good evening. All the leaders of Lebanon’s major political parties – including the ones whose foreign sponsors subsidise this and other TV stations – made major campaign speeches today. With historic elections just weeks away, the race is on to woo undecided voters by issuing detailed platforms and coherent policies designed to address the many challenges facing the country.

If only it were so simple. The Lebanese politician loves being in the spotlight (so long as he controls when and where it shines), but that is hardly the only reason for his addiction to public office. No, his main goals are to enrich himself and his cronies at the expense of other politicians and their respective cohorts. So he won’t quit just because no one pays him any attention.

In fact, if he can keep the money rolling in from foreign backers and domestic accomplices, and if he uses some of the cash to keep buying votes, he might even benefit from being left alone in the shadows. That would make it much easier, for example, to hide his ill-gotten wealth, and to avoid questions about how, precisely, he will ameliorate the lot of the Lebanese despite spending most of his time in other countries and/or representing their interests.

Problem: this is precisely why the political class worked so hard for so long to develop their own media mouthpieces in the first place. They wanted to erect a façade of liberalism and legitimacy so they could go on about their shady business. It’s such an entrenched and thoroughly self- perpetuating system that at this point no one is quite sure which is the chicken and which is the egg. All that’s really clear is who’s getting screwed.