Lebanese political pipe dream: Yoda for Education Minister?
Lebanese political pipe dream: Yoda for Education Minister?
Tired with an ongoing atmosphere of stasis in Lebanese politics, graffiti crew Ashekman have created a poll shortlisting fictional pop cultural icons to fill Lebanon's vacant cabinet positions.
2 min read
12 Dec, 2016
Whether Yoda would make for a better education or justice minister is debatable [Getty]
The Lebanese public have become accustomed to political stasis with a lack of effective executive power in the country’s parliament becoming the norm these days.
After a period of over two years without a president, a position constitutionally ascribed to a Maronite Christian, Freedom and Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, a political ally of Hizballah, was finally nominated to the position at the beginning of November.
However, to date, Aoun’s appointment has proven largely ceremonial. Over a month after his appointment the 83 year old, former civil war-era warlord is yet to establish a cabinet due in part to political wrangling between the country's rival political parties.
While Aoun's son-in-law and political heir apparent, current acting Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, has said that all of Lebanon’s diverse political parties will be represented in a future cabinet, members of the Lebanese public have grown tired of waiting.
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This is certainly the case for Mohamed and Omar Kabbani, identical twins, who together form renowned Lebanese graffiti crew Ashekman [you can see one of their works below].
Rather than embrace apathy, Ashekman have come up with their own tongue in cheek critique of the current status quo of political stasis.
They have offered a critique of current realities in the form of a poll calling on fellow Lebanese citizens to nominate their choices for various cabinet positions from a shortlist of fictional characters chosen by the pair.
Examples include Batman for Justice Minister, Optimus Prime for Transport Minister, Daenerys Targaryen as Interior Minister, and even Yoda, of Star Wars fame, as Education Minister.
In a statement posted on their Facebook page the duo state: “Ashekman strongly believes that we should be allowed to form our own government, even if it's filled with fictional characters … Because let's face it, fictional characters have never let us down”
You can see more on Ashekman’s Facebook page here, and make your own suggestions.
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