Cui bono?

During the popular funeral-festival of show of political muscle, mini-Hariri addressed his revolutionary crowds, which western media have hailed as “anti-Syrian” (as opposed to the “pro-Syrians” who were supposed to be holding a demonstration had the assassination not taken place, as per Adrian Brown of BBC) and concluded:

And you [the crowds] tell those who say about you that you are a fake majority, [looks at paper] we are the truth, and you are the fantasy. [looks at paper] We are the truth and you are the fantasy. [looks at paper] We are freedom, [looks at paper] and you are the fantasy. We are the national unity, and you are the fantasy. [looks at paper] To those we say, leave your fantasies [looks at paper] and come back to the truth, [looks at paper] come back to sovereignty, come back to [looks at paper] national unity, come back to Lebanon. And we will stay, [looks at paper] we will stay, [looks at paper] we will stay, [looks at paper] until the knowledge of the truth, [looks at paper] until the achievement of justice, [looks at paper] until Lebanon is victorious. [looks at paper] Long live the people, [looks at paper] long live Pierre Amin Gemayel, [looks at paper] long live Rafiq al-Hariri, and long live Lebanon.

An assassination being marketed to boost the declining standing of “March 14″. Fear of losing one’s dominion leads one to do that. It also leads one to do such things as assassinate one’s own allies. I wonder who wrote his speech though. Perhaps a colleague who works at the Saudi embassy might be able to shed some light on that.

Note: I am told that the more accurate translation for the Arabic word which I translated as “fantasy” is “illusion”. I am unsure if “illusion” underlines as well as “fantasy” would, mini-Hariri’s emphasis on deliberate deception on the part of his rivals (or perhaps he was implying his rivals are genuinely convinced they are the true majority?), but if true, I stand corrected. Not that I am losing any sleep over what mini-Hariri (as Angry Arab refers to him) was thinking…