It kinda reads like a cheap soap opera, instead of diligent, honest legislation that’s supposed to serve the people that call Beirut home.

Since their disputed slim victory in May following widespread electoral fraud and dozens of well-documented cases of bribery as well as voter intimidation and an opaque counting process, the coalition of the Garbage Political Parties headed by Hariri continues their assault on the people of Beirut.

Their latest prodigal work is “banning arguileh, motorcylces and dogs from public spaces”. There are many funny things in that statement:

1- We have public spaces in Beirut? Where? Didn’t you sell that last bit off the second you got into office?

2- How are motorcycles, arguilehs and dogs related?

3- How will you enforce the ban? Will people go to jail for letting their dog out of the house? Or will you just charge us Grand-Cafe-Bill amount fines?

Arguileh Issue

Sure, it’s a horrible health crisis that’s completely unregulated and out of control. But, if there was a true will to solve that, I think a proper enforcement of the indoor smoking ban would be a start. However, if the plan is just to rob money from people who can’t afford Grand Cafe’s 12,000 LBP for a handful of nuts, then why not just say it outright?

Personally, I am a smoker, but I am all for bans of indoor smoking and public places where children and families frequent, such as the Corniche promenade or public parks like Horsh Beirut. However, this ban is like police cars camouflaging themselves behind elaborate hideouts to clock in people doing 57kmh in a 50kmh area: it’s just to make money off of fines, while never really bringing speeding down. So, sending out a cop to get his quota by citing people walking their dogs or having a smoke, is beyond absurd and honestly, frightening even for Hariri cronies known for milking every last possible cent from every possible thing you can think of.

No Motorbikes on Pedestrian Walkways?

How is that not already the law?! Why not enforce it? Oh, right, because the cop is probably Whatsapping a pic of a botox survivor he catcalled at the red-light she ignored… What a joke! And again, what does that have to do with dogs and arguilehs?

Dogs

The problem with dog ownership in Lebanon is not the dogs, it’s the owners. Many people buy them as fashion statements to hashtag on Instagram in hopes some pet account with a few thousand followers will repost their dog’s pic. What you don’t see, is that the overwhelming majority of these owners don’t pick up after their dogs. It’s such a huge problem, that Ashrafieh 2020 actually ran ads and an entire campaign to try and curb the dogshit maze that is Ashrafieh’s sidewalks, to no avail.

So, I would recommend instead of an absurd and impossible to enforce ban on dogs in public spaces, to fine dog owners that don’t pick up after their dogs, and allow normal citizens to report such instances. As for parks like Horsh Beirut, there should be sections dedicated for dogs and their owners, where dogs can be unleashed and run around and play, like they’re supposed to, and folks who have a problem with that can stay in the rest of the park. No need to ban dogs and their owners from the most basic things you do with your dog: go play in a park, or go for a walk!