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Human factor planning takes precedence over the two sectors of hydraulics and hydroelectric power. It has become evident, following the disaster and the warned-about “explosion of the country” by Maurice Gemayel, that this factor hindered the realization of the vision set by the Ministry of Planning. To develop this potential, it is first and foremost essential to eliminate two major hindrances: the myth of Lebanon’s poverty and the illusion of protection ensured by the feudal lords.
According to Maurice Gemayel, the third crucial asset following water and hydroelectric energy is the human factor. It stands as Lebanon’s primary capital alongside its hydraulic resources. This factor is entrusted with the main mission, and bears responsibility for the other two. Emigration is equivalent to a hemorrhage that will ultimately lead to Lebanon’s long-term decline. Hence, the development of human potential stands as the cornerstone of the rescue plan for the Country of the Cedar.
The Human Factor
Developing the human factor is not feasible as long as we are subjected to the feudal system and its reductionist mindset. The citizens, held hostage by their protector, cannot contribute to the creation of a state. In fact, Aristotle defined the notion of a Republic as a community of free men. However, there is no room for freedom when one is restricted and held captive by those whom Maurice Gemayel termed as “the political professionals and parasites of the nation.” As Max Stirner puts it, “Freedom can only be whole of freedom; a piece of freedom is not freedom.” These so-called professionals have bartered Lebanon to establish power as their sole domain. They have reduced politics to a mere matter of inheritance, whereas in truth, politic is a noble science that deals with existential issues for both humankind and the environment. They have turned “the civil service into a dumping ground for inept individuals of all confessions,” as further stated by Gemayel. Traditional feudalism has been coupled with a new feudalism. One that is built upon the ruins and the corpse of the nation. One that has created causes to justify the existence of its political parties. Thus, the party as such doesn’t serve the cause, but it is rather continuously reinventing it for the sake of the party’s survival.
Education
Confronted with these alarming realities, Maurice Gemayel predicted Lebanon’s demise. In his lecture “Such Government, Such People – Such People, Such Government.” In December 1952, he explicitly stated, “Ou bien ce sont eux qui doivent partir. Ou bien c’est le pays qui doit périr” (Either they have to leave or the country will perish).
Maurice Gemayel goes deeper in his analysis of the elite ruling class and speaks of the damage it has caused to the citizen. The authorities have viewed the education sector as an industry dedicated to productivity and profitability.
This dangerous conduct was added to the cataclysm of the First World War, an event Maurice Gemayel described as the “source of all our misfortune.” Besides causing immense loss to the population, this “Kafno” genocide plunged the survivors into a state of semi-illiteracy, leading to an intellectual collapse. This is when Greater Lebanon came into being, but found itself lacking the necessary human resources for its development. Relying solely on the Lebanese diaspora of Egypt couldn’t alone fill the shortage of qualified teachers. The detrimental effects of the 1914-1918 war, coupled with the profit-oriented mindset of our leaders, have led to an outdated educational system and inadequate teaching.
This, in turn, led to an “overproduction of specific categories of educated individuals,” which subsequently flooded the Lebanese job market, despite the complete absence of many crucial fields of expertise. Doctors, lawyers and engineers vied for the same opportunities, while other fields like space, genetics, hydraulics or modern agriculture lacked the needed qualified specialists. The country’s recovery and the reshaping of its future vision start with the reevaluation of our primary, secondary and higher education.
Accomplishments
Among Maurice Gemayel’s numerous projects, some have materialized, albeit with significant delays. However, their realization remains incomplete, as they are inherently lacking the visionary perspective and foresight that were the trademark of their late creator.
In this regard, prior to the 2019 crisis, these revived projects garnered attention without any mention of their author. They were picked up by broadcast media, the Parliament, and the written media under the following headlines:
– The Beirut-Beqaa tunnel (announced by Maurice Gemayel in 1957).
– Hydroelectric dams (their comprehensive study was presented in 1951).
– The Human Academy (Byblos) for Encounter and Dialogue (announced in 1952).
Not only were these projects endorsed by Maurice Gemayel, but he also provided a comprehensive and fully detailed study of each one. However, when one of them was executed without acknowledging his contribution, Maurice Gemayel would say to his close circle, “The most important thing is the accomplishment, even if accomplished under someone else’s name.”
For this man of vision, it was essential to work for the future, and display acute foresight. To avert Lebanon’s demise, or what he kept on referring to as the “explosion,” it was necessary to act quickly and with a lot of humility and courage. “No one will ever do anything for us,” he wrote. “No one can do anything for us. It is up to us and us alone to be capable, to want and to emerge if we freely choose to do so.”
In 1954, he ascertained that for a real and redemptive action to happen, it was crucial for the ones in control of power to be willing to step aside.
Recognizing the unfeasibility of this wish, he turned to Providence and wrote in La Planification du facteur humain (The Planification of the Human Factor): “Hence, all I have left is to look up to the skies and implore God to graciously employ His omnipotence to free us from all those conscious or unconscious detractors of our homeland.”
In the vein of his friend, the philosopher Charles Malik, Maurice Gemayel worked towards preserving Lebanon’s identity. The two men complemented each other. While the former fought for a cultural and spiritual identity, notably through the preservation of the Syriac language and the understanding of history, the latter sought to establish a legacy within the landscape. The word he most frequently used was “le cachet” (the character), which he so dearly wished to preserve. The beauty of the land, the uniqueness of the regions, mountains, cities and villages… all of this was intrinsic to his development projects. For these two visionaries, their Lebanon was conceived as a work of art.
In the fall of 2019, a monument dedicated to Maurice Gemayel was inaugurated in Bikfaya. It wasn’t until 50 years after his passing that his own daughters, rather than the state, fully took on the construction of a statue in his honor. The project successfully materialized, at last offering a modest tribute to this national and cross-border figure who had the potential to save Lebanon.
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