Open letter to:
Mr Elias Kassab, President World Lebanese Cultural Union
Mr Wissam Azzi, World Secretary General
Members of World Committee
Presidents of geographical regions, national councils, branches and members
And to those who wish to see a strong World Lebanese Cultural Union for the promotion and advancement of Lebanese people and culture worldwide.
Dear friends.
On the 5th of October last year, I sent you a warning letter about the pitiful state in which the WLCU now finds itself. I also mentioned the “Mustard Seed” that was planted as a small movement to reform and salvage the Union, and how that seed could grow to become a large tree with many branches.
Today I offer this letter, to tell you that the “Mustard Seed” has indeed become a large tree with many branches, and is giving the second and last warning shout to save the Union before it is too late. If this warning is not heeded, then no one can blame the “Mustard Tree” if it decides to move in another direction in reforming the Union.
I Don’t say “warning” with hostility, nor superiority, nor aggression.. Instead it is said out of zeal and concern about the Union, and out of respect to each and every one of its members. The aim, and the only aim, is to again have a strong World Lebanese Cultural Union befitting the Lebanese expansion that gave, and still continues to give, successful personalities worldwide in all fields.
Dear friends, there is no shame in the WLCU represented by its leaders stopping and saying: “we have failed .. So let us look again at all the mistakes we have made to the Union from 2001 till today..”
Some Example of those mistakes are:
- Amending the constitution many times to suit some , but not all members.
- Cheating with some rules..
- Creating fake branches..
- Allowing people to use the Union for their own agenda..
- Allowing political parties to interfere in the Union’s activities and make them political..
- Many other unconstitutional decisions. .
To be clear, I am not blaming the actual world committee, president and members, for these mistakes, but I admonish them for not taking the initiative in reforming the Union, instead of wasting two years in the futility of unification and without being able to clearly declare the denouncement of article 12 that was basically the only reason for the division.
The present state of affairs, dear colleagues, is a shame . . It is a real shame to keep acting with pride, and with arrogance, and with egotism, and to disrespect those who criticise us and who may do far better than us for the WLCU, as I mentioned in my first letter.
It is a shame to keep on thinking that all goes well, and that a mere meeting in New York this month in which we amend few rules and approve few others, and appoint a new world president and a new world committee, can lift up the Union in the eyes of the Lebanese, and make us feel that everything is alright, and that we are the only masters of the WLCU.
Let me remind you, ladies and gentlemen, about a sad fact.. The fact that the WLCU has lost its credibility with the greater part of the Lebanese Intishar – this is the stark truth that cannot be denied.. Let me also remind you that the patching of a ragged dress did not work in the past and it will not work now.
Therefore I call on you.. I call on you with passion, for a solution, and while we (the Mustard Tree) criticise, we also offer solutions and we ask that you hear us in cooperative dialogue. And if we give a warning yell, it will not be a wasted yell in the vacuum without any echo.. But it will be like the snow ball (avalanche).. Believe me. We are taking this very seriously and are motivated to make change.
I call on you to take a courageous step, a step taken normally by great leaders of great institutions, and by leaders who put the benefits of their institutions before their personal benefits.
I call on you to attend the World Congress meeting in the coming month of April, where you:
- stop the clock in the Union for a period of time to enable change to be made.
- Announce a transitional committee for a maximum of one year, the job of this committee being to reform the structure of the WLCU using the first & original constitution to enable and drive the reform in order to salvage the Union and relaunch it again,
all with the sole intent of the WLCU achieving its objects and regaining its credibility.
Having said that, ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to reiterate what Albert Einstein once said: ”we cannot solve the problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”. Therefore the transitional committee cannot be formed from the same people who are currently or have been responsible directly or indirectly for the mistakes that have been done since 2001, and we must have the courage to act accordingly.
Dear friends
We in the World Lebanese Cultural Union have now reached a crossroads.. The only solution to stay united is the Transitional Committee that should and must take birth in the World Congress meeting in April, so I ask you with passion to seriously include it as a priority in the agenda.
So for the sake of the Union let us for once relinquish our ego.. Let everyone takes the responsibility of his/her decision towards a strong World Lebanese Cultural Union for the future. . A union that can be worthy of the promotion and advancement of the Lebanese people and culture worldwide.
Antoine Ghanem
World Lebanese Cultural Union
Queensland – Australia