“Lebanon Debate”
Against the backdrop of the debate between Defense Minister Michel Mansi and Representative Paula Yacoubian in recent days over the issue of promoting a number of officers and soldiers who were martyred during their service, the dispute developed from an exchange of positions regarding the ministry’s powers and the reasons for not approving promotions to an exchange of criticism and statements, which sparked political and media reactions.
In this context, Representative Paula Yacoubian, speaking to RED TV, considered that the Minister of Defense, instead of answering her parliamentary question regarding not promoting officers and soldiers who were martyred, even though their number was not large, and explaining the reasons that prevented that, chose to accuse her of one-upmanship.
She added that she responded with a comment in which she called on the minister to “elevate and advance,” instead of adopting this method of communication.
Yacoubian confirmed that the minister returned and issued a statement that included, as she described it, “flawed” phrases and descriptions, despite his knowledge, as she put it, of the representatives who are making a legislative effort within the House of Representatives.
She said: “If he respects himself, he should retract what he said, because retracting a mistake is a virtue,” stressing that “until now he has not apologized.”
Yacoubian was also surprised by the approach of some parties to this debate from a sectarian angle, considering this type of discourse a “mockery.” She considered that the decline of values and morals to the sectarian level raises questions about the level that political discourse has reached in the country.
