February 01, 2025
By Nasser Kandil
• It is striking that media reports repeatedly attribute to Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam the claim that his insistence on appointing competent ministers is best reflected in their being graduates of the American University of Beirut, Saint Joseph University, or equivalent institutions abroad. Such a criterion is, in fact, an insult to every Lebanese. We therefore find it unlikely that the Prime Minister-designate himself made this statement and expect him to issue a public denial. Most likely, this claim originates from well-meaning but politically inexperienced friends who mistakenly believe it to be a compliment.
• The Lebanese University is a national institution of great significance, having produced thousands of highly qualified graduates who have achieved global academic success. Many of those who ranked among the top graduates of the American University of Beirut and Saint Joseph University in advanced degrees were originally Lebanese University students. A Lebanese prime minister simply cannot dismiss the national university as a failure or a weak institution, even if reforms and improvements are needed. More dangerous than any debate over ministerial qualifications, however, is the spread of an inferiority complex regarding foreign institutions. We have long suffered from the reliance on foreign consulting firms and companies under the pretext that their Lebanese counterparts are unqualified, only to find that, in most cases, it was Lebanese professionals who carried out the actual work, while foreign firms merely served as a front for commissions and profiteering. This mentality – captured in the saying “the foreigner is always better” reflects a deep-seated inferiority complex that we refuse to attribute to a Lebanese official who once presided over an international tribunal alongside highly qualified foreign judges. Notably, his biography states that he holds a law degree from the University of Beirut – though it is unclear whether this refers to the Lebanese University or another institution.
• Lebanese elites, parties, students, and youth movements fought hard and made great sacrifices to establish a national university, and this cause was explicitly affirmed in the presidential inaugural address. A similar commitment is expected to appear in the government’s ministerial statement.
• Ministerial competence is not determined solely by academic degrees or the institutions that issued them. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, for instance, was a graduate of Parisian law schools, yet he faced corruption charges before the French judiciary. What Lebanon needs are ministers whose achievements in their fields speak for themselves and whose reputations are impeccable – something that state security agencies, which report to the Prime Minister-designate, can verify if he wishes to assess candidates beyond their official documents, which, while important, are insufficient on their own.
• There are fundamental questions we suggest the Prime Minister-designate pose to ministerial candidates in a post-Taif government, given that the agreement shifted political power to the cabinet. First, if appointed minister, what would you propose in a defense strategy discussion convened by the president – an issue that this government may have to address immediately should Israeli aggressions continue beyond the February 18 deadline marking the end of the transitional phase of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon? Second, what is your position on the president’s proposal for rotation in first-category state positions, as stipulated in Article 95 of the constitution, to eliminate sectarian allocation of key posts? Third, what are your views on the electoral law, which the inaugural address called for revisiting to ensure fair representation? If we are to fully implement the Taif Agreement, these questions define a minister’s responsibilities far more than their professional specialisation alone.
