Confessions: We Have Sinned!

We, as members of student political groups, have sinned.

And the worst part of it is that we don’t know where to stop; we don t have any frontiers to use our freedom to manipulate people.

Meanwhile, we are not doing anything really progressive enough to allow us to hope one day to become part of a better life in a free Lebanon. We have reached a position where we cannot mobilize the student body to resist irresponsible decisions taken by the AUB administration.

Even in our independent thinking and in the independent stands we take, we are fooling the students. Most of those who run under the label independent are more politically affiliated than any party’s official candidates. But independent does not mean having no political stand or ideology; it means separating politics from student interests. Fine. I agree, but unfortunately, from the moment you start defending any interest whatsoever and you run in any election, you are practicing politics. You are not independent anymore: you will have your own party by then!

We are responsible for lots of manipulation of student public opinion; we are responsible for most of the lies circulated on campus. Along with the University administration, we sinners are responsible for the lack of involvement of the student body in political, national and even campus issues. We have not, and still are not, seizing the opportunity of being in a relatively democratic and multicultural institution to make of Lebanese youth the spearhead of democratic social change.

We have this outrageous lust for power and control to produce media impact. Most of the candidates who run for election have a dream of grabbing a megaphone and speaking under the “legal status of an elected representative” in sit-ins and demonstrations held at West Hall. Very few are ready to invest time and effort in understanding the system by studying bylaws, understanding procedures and searching for solutions.

We limit ourselves to defaming each other in endless political conflicts leading to futile tension among us. This tension results in a lack of willingness to cooperate. We think the world is limited to those 200 politically affiliated students in AUB: we make it revolve around them. Others have to join our world or they will never be recognized as part of our community. We see elections only as a unique opportunity to publicly campaign for our ideology. Sorry, but elections are far beyond such a campaign..

Don’t get me wrong: political activity is essential in every community. Political parties are the exclusive tools for democratic change in a free country. Sit-ins and demonstrations are part of the basic freedoms stated in the universal declaration of human rights.

But what we are practicing now in AUB and in Lebanon is not politics: it is a conflict of power that ends when the Dean of Student Affairs announces publicly the results of the elections, and students acclaim the winners and make fun of the losers. It has a lot to do with which political leader brags about winning elections in AUB. This is how elections are being caricaturized in AUB, how they are gradually losing their meaning.

Think back: how many students attended the budget presentation by the Provost? How many participated in the protest against the six percent increase in tuition fees in 1998? Here lie our real problems.

Look at the platforms of political parties, candidates’ lists and independent candidates and even at the concerns of passive students who don’t even vote. They are basically the same. Then what s wrong? Why this lack of cooperation? Why all those futile tensions and races towards who makes the motion first?

I don’t want to question intentions; I prefer to stick to means of expressing and practicing these intentions. I would like to see some genuine political activity in AUB based on true ideologies and cooperation, based on putting the right person in the right place. We need to fortify our positions as a student body on all levels: in student clubs, in societies, in political groups and, mainly, in our representative committees, the SRC and the USFC, representative committees I would like to see develop into a real decision-making student government and not recommending bodies.

Politics is essential. It is something which broadens our thinking. But on campus that is only true when it is coupled with cooperation, discussions and lobbying for the interests of the students.

The AUB administration is in many issues responsible for the current situation, but we students also have our own share in the responsibility.

Ever since I became part of the AUB community the student body has lost many opportunities. A lot of energy has been invested out of place: we need to concentrate on our real goals, our “ultimate student platform,” in order to achieve results and not only outcomes.

By Kamal Sanjakdar