15^th April 2022

For immediate release.

Sydney, Australia: The United Australian Lebanese Movement (UALM) have come to know of lies and misinformation from the official site of the Lebanese Forces (a former war time militia that has opposed many of the much needed reforms in Lebanon) and tele tabloid MTV Lebanon television network during the recent broadcast of their lurid show “It’s About Time” episode hosting Lebanese Forces (LF) MP George Adwan.

Attacking the reformist Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) in Lebanon under the title “Electoral scandal signed off by the FPM”; they have accused Lebanon’s Consul General in Sydney, Mr Charbel Maacron of affiliating with the FPM and distributing registered voters in a way that prevents them from voting. They also accuse him separating members of the same family to vote in different election booths that are some distance apart.

The UALM condemns these baseless accusations that aim to mislead voters and public opinion and would state the following facts:

• The UALM is surprised by such fabrications since the electoral rolls are yet to be officially issued.
• Voters are yet to be informed where they will be voting and,
• Distribution of electoral rolls are yet to be released and viewed by anyone.
• All that has been made public are the locations of the electoral booths in Australia according their electoral designation.

With the facts presented above, the UALM asks just what are the LF and MTV basing their accusations on and how do they have access to such information that does not exist?And are the LF continuing their negative failed campaigns to discredit the FPM through their usual lies and misinformation?

1. The question that also needs to be asked, is how can the distribution of electoral booths target one party and not another, at a time when all the Lebanese and their political affiliations are spread out all over Sydney?
2. It is a disgrace to accuse the FPM of preventing the Lebanese abroad from voting, when in fact they were the main driving force for allowing Lebanese expats to vote for the first time in history in 2018. Just like the FPM fought to get the Lebanese expats the right to be represented with their own MP’s in the 2022 elections, whereas the LF participated in derailing the rights of Lebanese representation abroad.
3. If the LF are concerned by the distribution of the electoral booths for the Lebanese to allow them to vote, we are surprised the LF voted against many election reforms including the opening of voting Megacentres in Lebanon to allow the Lebanese vote from anywhere.

If this is indicative of anything, it highlights how this brutal former wartime militia rallies for a cause and does the exact opposite based on their interests.

The UALM calls on the Lebanese in Australia to see through these lies and propaganda, as they know the truth and we hope the elections will be an opportunity for them to choose who was and still is working towards a Strong Lebanon in the face of the corrupt ruling class and their campaign lies and misinformation.