BEIRUT: A new “Lebanese Civil Coalition” demanding the “rule of law” and the departure from a society build around sectarianism was launched Wednesday by a group of 30 intellectuals, journalists and lawyers.

The coalition aims at providing a framework to “defend the state and its institutions,” promoting interaction and unity within the society and transcending the “hegemony of sects,” the movement’s manifesto states.

“We’re not lacking laws in Lebanon, we’re lacking implementation of the law,” journalist and political activist Malek Mrowa, who was designated by the coalition to give the launching speech, told The Daily Star.

Mrowa said the “Arab Spring” played a crucial role in helping accelerate the launching of the coalition.

“People in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria … were calling for freedom and equality,” gathering around these “international values” despite their very different social and religious backgrounds, he argued.

And although Lebanon’s political situation is far from being the same as “there is democracy here,” Mrowa said his movement viewed this democracy as “fragmented” in the sense that only a few leaders take decisions when the majority “is just watching.”

“We need to address this in Lebanon,” he continued.

The coalition rejects any sectarianism, Mrowa insisted.

“We don’t want people to say they’re Christian or Muslim. We want them to say they’re Lebanese, just Lebanese … People need to realize that others from different sects might think like them,” he said, stressing the need to “look at similarities among sects, not differences.”

The coalition, which among other things believes “the state should be the only one to decide of peace and war” and that “political assassination is a crime that deserves condemnation and punishment regardless of who committed it,” insists it’s not affiliated or aligned with any political movement.

“We take stances on issues and causes, not people, parties or sects. We take our stances according to our convictions, according to the principles included in our manifesto,” Mrowa said during his speech.

The coalition, which includes two women in its ranks, believes the state should be the only entity that generates and implements laws and announced it would be launching initiatives to “defend the state.”

Mrowa also insisted the coalition is not demanding change, but implementation, saying that once the law is fully implemented and a “normal state” is reached, Lebanese will “eventually agree on change, not Civil War.”

“The Lebanese people deserve better,” he said, giving as an example the fact that the provision of steady electricity supply remains a problem, more than 20 years after the end of the Civil War.

He blamed the lack of law enforcement and corruption for the situation and called for Lebanese to focus on “living together and normally.”

One of the changes the coalition would like to see happen is a reform of the electoral law based on proportionality that would “provide a solid framework to renew the political class.”

The movement also calls for the judiciary to be strengthened to “arrive at an independent judicial authority … guarantee justice and improve the implementation of the law.”