The three-day closure of Lebanon’s second-biggest power plant over the weekend, plunging much of the country into prolonged darkness, proves that Lebanon is a country much less united than many of its inhabitants would like to think.

Instead, the incident, which was carried out by employees of the plant at the behest of heads of local municipalities in protest against the removal of a major power adaptor, showed that the country was controlled by regional political forces who are willing to put their interests before those of the country as a whole.

What was also made clear during this incident is that the government and the security forces take part in this power play. As competing forces led to the loss of a third of the country’s already-meager electricity supply, the response from the authorities was pure rhetoric.

As they have witnessed so many times before, those who suffered from the plant’s closure can be sure that the issue will be resolved the Lebanese way. Nobody will be held accountable, and there will be nobody to inform people how they might be compensated for what losses to their lives and livelihoods resulted from such extensive power cuts.

Amid this chaos, the biggest loss of all has been to the reputation of the country, which now appears to observers as though it is run by thugs and militias, with a government that can do nothing but bear witness to events.

The supply of electricity affects everyone equally, which means that the political power struggle over the Zahrani power plant has inevitably become a public affair, with its causes and fallout much discussed and debated. But this incident is merely the tip of the iceberg. The forces that were at play in Zahrani extend their reach across Lebanon and its infrastructure, whether its property, water or telecommunications. Nothing is sacred.

Given this, all the government is able to offer to its people is the mere blueprint of a country. The politicians create an image of the rule of law and institution, but this is merely fantasy compared to what is being offered.

This systematic deception can continue no longer. The show of modernity and efficiency masks a system which is based on and survives by tribalism, sectarianism, and regionalism. These are the factors which deprive any country of its chance of success.

What happened will be repeated, whether with a different resource, a different area of the country, or a different party. This is because those that could put an end to this kind of behavior, the country’s politicians, are the very ones who benefit from it.

The beleaguered Lebanese must not forget the causes of this episode, nor let them slide, but when considering the best way to end such behavior they should remember that the most effective solution can be found at the ballot box.