FPM is increasingly isolated by its support for Syrian Accountability Act

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Daily Star staff

Student groups in private universities stepped up their political activity in preparation for student elections scheduled to be held by most universities in mid-November.
At the American University of Beirut (AUB), political groups are divided across three factions. The first faction comprises of pro-state groups such as the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), the Amal Movement and probably Hizbullah. The second alliance includes pro-sovereignty groups led by the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM).
The third grouping, still in its formative stage, reportedly aims at creating a leftist front that includes the independent No Frontiers group, the People’s Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party operating in AUB as the Progressive Youth Organization (PYO).
But group leaders prefer to remain silent about their alliances despite leaks. “We’re running on our own without allies,” said Abdullah Wehbe, spokesperson of the Amal Movement in AUB. “There has been talks with all groups in the university, but nothing is final yet.”
According to Wehbe, his group was ready to strike alliances with any party, “but some parties have distanced themselves from us.” He added that with groups such as the FPM, an alliance was possible until FPM supporters refused to break away from their leader, former Army Commander General Michel Aoun.
“We thought they would take an independent stand. Apparently they didn’t and subscribed to this stand that is in line with American political interests in the region,” he added.
Wehbe did not brush aside what he described as potential coordination with parties such as Hizbullah and the SSNP. He belittled, however, the possibility of forming a “pro-government alliance.” He also said that last year, pro-government groups limited their cooperation to an exchange of votes.
The second AUB grouping, a rightist lineup headed by FPM, looks perplexed. Aounists are running out of friends including their usual ally, the leftist No Frontiers. The reason behind the FPM’s isolation is clearly their support of the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act recently passed in the US Congress.
“Even though we share several common points in our rhetoric, their endorsement of the Syria Accountability Act puts our alliance at stake and forces us to avoid any possible cooperation with them,” according to No Frontiers’ Houssam Nassif.
Nassif told The Daily Star that the firmness of the leftists’ position was not to the extent of waging a war against the FPM, “but their stand closed doors of cooperation.” According to Nassif, No Frontiers was in favor of creating a leftist front with former MP Najah Wakim’s the People’s Movement and the PYO.
“We have to consult our group before making a final say,” said Nassif expressing optimism about positive relations with Wakim’s supporters.
Nassif could not say whether the leftist front would be tripartite and include the PYO. “The only thing I can say is that our stand is positive toward the PYO.”
The PYO student leadership told The Daily Star that “reviving the leftist rhetoric among students was imperative.” PYO leaders said they hoped such an alliance would be formed in other private universities such as the Lebanese American University (LAU) Beirut, where the group enjoys vast influence.
“We offered a similar proposal for a three-way leftist front in LAU Beirut, but talks were interrupted with disagreements on the quota each one of the three parties would receive in the representative council’s 10 seats,” said a PYO figure, who preferred to remain anonymous.
The PYO said it hoped to resume talks with No Frontiers and its sister group in LAU, Pablo Neruda. The PYO leadership also said that talks with the People’s Movements were under way.
But the map of student groups’ alliances looks different in other private universities such as the Notre Dame University (NDU) and Universite Saint Joseph, where pro-sovereignty groups are the dominant ones. In NDU, four groups namely the FPM, the disbanded Lebanese Forces, the National Liberal Party and the Phalangist rank and file, have been sweeping all 21 seats of the Student Council for the past years.
These rightist groups also enjoy student support in LAU Byblos and are expected to sweep the Student Council’s 10 seats. “We are used to people lining up against us,” said an FPM student activist in AUB.
“Our plan is to retain representation in the faculties that we’ve been dominating for the past decade and to simultaneously try and increase our representatives in other faculties,” the activist said.
While the final map of student group alliances is still in its formative stages, all parties seem to be busy preparing their rank and file for the upcoming confrontations.