The regional situation is on the boil, particularly in next-door Syria, with a series of real-world repercussions for Lebanon in terms of refugees, cross-border violence and angry street protests with sometimes deadly results.

On the domestic front, the public is anxious to learn about its short-term future: Will the government’s economic policies mean hope, or encouragement to emigrate? Can the electricity sector be reformed and eventually remove burdensome generator fees? Are the country’s buildings and roads safe, or are people taking their lives in their hands every day? Will the Cabinet manage to fill the many vacant posts in the state bureaucracy so that the business of government can get done and people can get on with their lives and careers?

Amid all of these urgently pressing issues, ministers in the Cabinet are engaged in a series of media discussions and behind-the-scenes talks centered on the following weighty issues: Can we meet? Under what conditions? What do we do about a minister who refuses to carry out what the government has endorsed? How should the Cabinet itself conduct its business – who is allowed to demand what, exactly?

The politicians who should be united in confronting a series of critically important developments and issues are standing around like a bunch of doctors examining a critically ill patient, namely Lebanon. The problem is that they are focusing on a procedural issue, namely how to hold a weekly Cabinet session without major fireworks erupting, instead of the important policy issues, whether these are related to Lebanon or its neighbors.

Cabinet is showing an alarming lack of harmony, and lacks the excuse that former partners, namely the March 14 coalition, are the reason for its paralysis.

Ministers are fighting out a series of turf battles, and battles over shares of the political spoils, with practically nothing to show on the fronts that they were supposed to be ready to “get to work.”

The bureaucracy and diplomatic corps remain dormant because of the lack of action on appointments. The water and electricity sectors are “nuclear” issues that threaten to bring down the government when they are discussed. Judicial reform and a transparent, effective mechanism for producing a new election law are as distant as they were before.

Meanwhile, unrest in Syria is spilling over into Lebanon, which needs a coherent, effective strategy to deal with the developments.

When the last Cabinet fell over a year ago, it was thought the new team would at least be more cohesive than its predecessors. Instead, the public sees alarming levels of infighting and a failure to meet the challenges of the Arab uprisings as they enter their second year.

Through it all, while the “get to work” team is busy focusing on petty struggles and stoking hatred thanks to virulent rhetoric, people’s vital interests and Lebanon’s future go ignored.