The Voice of the Voiceless

Lebanese people speaking about the current presidential crisis ..


"They are playing with our lives. Our children live in fear while theirs are abroad," said receptionist Sonia Wakim, 63. "We are afraid. How will we be judged by history?"

"I am following the situation hour by hour and what worries me most is if Lahoud -- this puppet (of the Syrians) -- names a (parallel) government," said a man in his 60s who refused to give his name. "If that happens the country will face terrible danger."

"The last thing they want is a political vacuum," said car park attendant Hussein Bitar, 50. "They will not let things go just like that or there would be another civil war."

Suwad Haidar, a resident of the Hamra commercial district, said she was no longer interested in who won the election. "We don't care who becomes president anymore, we want to live safely and normally." she said. "We've had enough wars and political conflicts which have brought nothing but hardship to our country."

"We're staying home. We were watching the news on television, but in the end we opted for a comedy show because I don't want the children to become anxious," said Rama Ghaziri, a mother of three.

"Frankly, (the politicians) are making fools of us," said receptionist Huda Shaul, 42. "We are living on our nerves. We don't know anything. How can we live calmly? We feel powerless. If they couldn't reach a solution now, I don't see how they are going to find one in a week."

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