Forty-three years after the assassination of President Bashir Gemayel, MP Salim Sayegh said the slain leader’s vision continues to inspire the nation.

Speaking in an interview with This Is Lebanon, Sayegh reflected on the historical significance of Gemayel’s death, which occurred during the Lebanese Civil War in 1982.

“When we look back at an event like the assassination of President Bashir Gemayel, we ask ourselves: are we witnessing history, or is this just another event, like those that occur every day? Without a doubt, we are facing history, written with the eyes of the present and the hopes of the future,” he said.

Sayegh added that his generation, involved in the Lebanese resistance at the time, immediately understood the magnitude of the loss.

“The purity of the fighters in the depths of battle illuminates their vision with unmatched clarity. The assassination struck the body but aimed at the soul, targeting the heart of the cause and attempting, in a desperate effort, to uproot Lebanon’s existential struggle, which the Kataeb Party embodied and Bashir strengthened through the Lebanese Forces,” he said.

The lawmaker emphasized the enduring legacy of Bashir Gemayel, noting that while Gemayel’s life was cut short, his vision for Lebanon continues to resonate. 

“With him fell the presidency first, the party second, and the Lebanese Forces third. Bashir may have fallen, but his promise did not. Lebanon has not become an impossible homeland. Its people continue to breathe freely, and his motto still inspires at every occasion: 10,452 square kilometers,” Sayegh said.

He recalled Gemayel’s message to his War Council comrades after his election as president: “The spirit must be pure and strong in order to face the challenges of the future. Without that, there would be no life for our children in the Land of the Cedars.”

“Forty-three years have passed since President Bashir’s assassination, yet his cause remains alive in the consciousness of every Lebanese who clings to his principles and stands firm in them," Sayegh concluded.