Macron Defeats Le Pen And Brings New Hope To France And World – OpEd
The election of the young centrist Emmanuel Macron is a global victory and a success for all mankind eager for democracy, justice, human rights, fraternity and dialogue.
France, this great country of human rights and respect of the other, sent a very strong message to Trump:
“No, our country will not be populist and racist but it will be the stronghold of freedom and true democracy and not a hotbed of wacky and extravagant nationalism … Sorry Mr. President, you will be alone in your foolishness and bigotry …”
No, to Trump’s populism
Trump, directly or indirectly, supported Marine Le Pen to give her movement a global reach and to show, where necessary, that it is not an accident of contemporary history but a real and legitimate political sentiment and drive.
Unwittingly, this support was, by all means, a terrible kiss of death. Technically, Marine Le Pen, after this second big defeat and tremendous blow is finished politically, she must retire and go home to cultivate potatoes in her garden and make peace with her father and the patriarch of the clan. Because of their crude racism, the French people have rejected the Le Pen’s approach in politics and made of them a renowned family of political losers, as it were.
During her campaign, Marine Le Pen tried to give herself the image of an accomplished leader of France, somewhat in the Trump’s fashion, but her actions, gestures, words, and occasional smiles sounded totally false and fake. Her movement remains racist and xenophobic in a globalized and globalizing world.
The proud French people expressed clearly their mind, Le Pen and her medieval clan to the dustbin of human history. The world wants rallying, humanist and democratic leaders, not racist and burlesque political beasts.
France is, undoubtedly, a great multicultural and multi-confessional democracy that does honor to all humanity. The French people have said their word: the Front National has no place in the Elysée, which is, unquestionably, a great haven of democracy and will remain so, for long, but not a fief of nationalism with a racist resonance and diminishing overtones of the “other.”
The French people are entrusting Macron and his youth with the delicate mission of going ahead and getting France on the move, not that it was at a standstill, at any moment of its present history, but it is a country that needs always to be up to date, to renew itself constantly and to, always, go forward. Macron brings, therefore, a youth toning, a new hope and a lot of gusto and zest that he will share with his fellow citizens and the rest of the world generously.
Macron puts his youth at the service of a France on the move
The Arabs should learn a great deal from France and the youth of its president, as well as, its unflinching democracy. The Arab Spring was an Arab youth movement for democratic and generational change; unfortunately the tribal and highly patriarchal local culture put an end to this movement and this hope in the bud.
The Arab world will remain in the fold of the gerontocracy, for the time being. It will continue to be governed by a large number of old tribal chiefs, who use religion and tradition as ramparts against change, democracy and modernity.
What is, truly, unacceptable in this region is that 70% of the population is definitely young and it is governed by a minority of the remaining 30%, who are seniors including, obviously, undemocratic and absolute heads of states. May the perfume of Macron’s youth spread all over the Arab world and his democratic zest rub off on Arab decision-makers and bring about the much-desired and expected change. Amen.
Macron, is, also, very good news for the European Union, which has been shaken by the insular spirit of the British. A frame of mind that dates back to old times, and which has been revived lately by global terrorism and menacing immigration flow and ended, as a result, in an unprecedented isolationist movement called Brexit. Fear made The British curl up on themselves, however; on the other hand, they are facing another immediate serious danger; the possible disintegration of the UK, starting with the probable future departure of the Scots who are, hugely, dissatisfied with the exit of Great Britain from the EU.
Merkel is thrilled with the arrival of Macron at the Elysée, Europe is saved for the moment, and the two of them have the hard task of renovating this great continental institution and transforming it into a dynamic, productive, and unifying union capable of making Europeans smile anew, as well as, bringing much-needed optimism to the continental stock exchanges and making out of the European Union a space of peace and well-being for Europe and the world. A Europe that strives, genuinely, to build bridges with the others and not forbidding walls and obstacles.
Europe with Macron will undoubtedly have a new unifying spirit that will put the genius of its nations in the service of all mankind irrespective of color, creed or culture.
Macron is in great need of Morocco
Macron is also good news for Africa that needs badly French development aid and France’s economic genius for the creation of much-coveted and hoped for wealth and jobs. Africa needs enormous investments in its economies, infrastructure and, also, especially, in democracy and good governance. France had entrusted, in the recent past, the centrist and charismatic leader Jean-Louis Borloo with the task of building electrical infrastructure in Africa, but it seems that Macron has other great designs, of political nature rather, for him in place of his present important assignment.
For Africa, Macron will greatly need Morocco for a triangular cooperation, knowing that the latter under the leadership of its young and dynamic itinerant king Mohammed VI has docked successfully to Africa in a win-win economic venture. Today, Morocco, especially, after its triumphal return to the African Union lap, enjoys a great deal of respect and esteem among the countries of the continent and strong with this confidence it is investing enormously in their economies to create wealth and employment for everyone.
France, a long time friend of Morocco, is in great need, also, of the latter in the struggle against religious extremism, especially in the Sahel area where it has spawned a daunting ark of terrorism that threatens even the countries of the Maghreb in the north such as: Algeria, Tunisia and especially Libya which sits, stoically, for the moment, on a volcano awaiting to spew molten rock all over the area and create great havoc.
The seasoned and professional army of Morocco can help the countries of the region in the actions of maintenance of peace as well as the fight against terrorism and the truth of the matter is that it is already doing this under the aegis of the United Nations or on a bilateral or multilateral basis.
Last but not least, Morocco has become a world reference in the management of the religious field, proof of this is that the training institute of Imams of Rabat, dubbed by the international press: Imam Academy, has become a world reference in the formation of Imams that are tolerant and open to interreligious dialogue and alien cultures. Besides, this same institute forms Imams for France, other European countries, Russia and many African states. This type of institution, with the help of France, can be cloned everywhere in Muslim Africa to cut the grass under the feet of the extremists who are very active in religious brainwashing, bearing in mind, unfortunately, that the Muslim states of the African continent have long forgotten to oversee and manage religious needs of their populations.
Is France an accomplished world leader?
Macron has promised to put France on the move again; it is an enormous but not impossible task. At the same time, France must help its friends in their march towards development, democracy, and well-being. France is a great nation endowed with a great creative genius. It is called upon, today more than ever, to play a role of a world leader, knowing that Great Britain has deliberately curled up on itself and that the United States is a country bogged down, for the moment, in racist populism and harmful stigmatization of the other, under the leadership of a totally erratic and unpredictable president.
