Time to Update the Slogans

We have all seen the demonstration in Beirut yesterday, and by all standards, it was the largest and most representative in our history. More than the third of the population turned out, and to put things in perspective, that would be the equivalent of 40 million protesters in the US, (or 500 Million in China, but that's another story)

Now what? What’s next? How should the opposition tread?

One of the most immediate concerns among the oppositions sympathizers, voiced in blogs, saloons, press and the Lebanese street, is the fact that the Syrian withdrawal, if it is really going to happen as announced, is going to shatter the opposition into its previous inter-warring parochial self. Witness Rage in Lebanon matters: "I believe all hell will break loose within the ranks of the mou3arada after it reaches its goal"

But the opposition will still have a lot in common after the Syrians withdraw. Their next challenge will be to market their largely fuzzy and amorphous other goals to the masses. To do that, they should start shifting slightly the emphasis of their popular campaign along these lines:

The bad guys:
when we refer to the bad guys, we should start talking less about the Syrians (and definitely less about hizbullah) and more about the Police state's heavy handedness and the shadow government that really runs the show. For simplicity, we need to find a simple name for that new bad guy, something that could fit easily in the sentence: 'hey w yalla, _______ tla' barra' (i welcome suggestions); i must say, although president Lahhoud is an appropriate symbol of the police state and his name has a nice comical ring to it, he is not a good choice because the opposition shouldn't be seen to be picking on one person.

The cause:
The cause should shift a bit from freedom, sovereignty, and independence towards "people rule, accountability and universal suffrage". I leave it up to the linguists to find an appropriate expression that rings as nicely as "hurryeh, syedeh, istiklel".
"Just Go" and "take them with you" is a step in the right direction, but we need something in Arabic that would fit in a jingle my 10 year old cousin could sing.
Take the Americans for instance, they like to talk about: 'A government for the people, of the people, by the people', I’m sure we can find something nice in Arabic as well.
And of course, we shouldn't forget: "Who killed Rafik Hariri?" and "we want the truth."

The Means:
We should start talking more about free and fair elections, more about international observers and less about protests; after all, humans are humans, and protest-fatigue will eventually creep in. I know my grand mother for instance demonstrated yesterday, but she said it's her last time, she's too old to go from Tripoli to Beirut everytime for an all day standing protest; "intifadat al sanadik" maybe?

The Dynamics:
Behind the scene Marketers, strategists and other grass root organizers should be working hard to coordinate people, media, slogans and publications, to maintain a consistent and orchestrated message that is forced down our throats Future-tv style.
Psst, I’m talking with you Wael Abou Faour, Salim Diab and Khodor Makkaoui (just in case you don’t know the last guy, he’s the founder of “Independence ’05”

Be creative guys, I want to start singing something new, something that will remain relevant for the coming months..