"A Candid Najib Mikati Interviwed in Arrajol magazine"

Oct 07 – Arrajol magazine, the Saudi pan Arab monthly featured in its October 07 issue an extensive and candid interview with Najib Miakti. It shed the light on Premier Mikati’s distinctive lifestyle and his unique bond with family values and principles.

"If you cannot build a solid family, you cannot run a nation", said the Premier on the magazine’s cover.

The feature’s headline profiles Najib Mikati as "Lebanon’s former prime minister and the largest shareholder in international MTN’ with Mikati stating to the magazine ‘my brother’s hobby propelled us to the top".

Highlighted are Premier Mikati’s profile and motto:
"My brother Taha and I always followed a golden equation in that the eldest looks after the youngest and the youngest respects the eldest. We have applied this from our childhood on and we’re passing it from one generation to the other".
"We’re very much attached to family ties. We live with absolutely no family quarrels and very much in a loving atmosphere; that’s the secret of our success".
"I agree with former prime minister Salim El Hoss when he says that those in public service are strong only as long as they’re not seeking any personal gain".

Excerpts:
From ‘average student’ to Harvard

Najib Mikati didn’t much like school. He was an average student and October was a somber month for him because it signaled the time to go back to school. Things changed however when in high school he earned an A+, and moved on to higher education and then to Harvard.
-Where did you go to school?
- My father worked in Beirut so I attended the ‘Grand Lycee’, a French school there, then I went to the American University of Beirut and later to Harvard.
- At the beginning you were an average student. How about later?
- I cannot say things started smoothly. I didn’t like going to school and I didn’t like the month of October. I remember when my own children started going to school, I would find excuses to go on business trips so that their mother took them to school. My excuse was that had they told me they didn’t want to be there I’d agree with them. Things got better when I started making friends, and I began to look forward to being with my friends. As for my university days, they were the best days of my life.
- Any particular incidents?
- My father was constantly being summoned to my school. Once the teacher told him how surprised he was at my laziness "when Najib knows by heart the names of all 99 members of parliament". I also remember the 1967 war and the exams were cancelled but we were all made to pass- so 1967 was a positive thing for me. "I remember also one day coming back from school and telling my sister ‘in my class half of us are Moslems and half are Christians", my father overheard me and asked how I found this out. I said a friend told me. So he asked me not to speak to that friend form then on.
- What about your days at university?
- I enrolled at the American University of Beirut in 1975. In March of the following year classes were suspended following a botched coup d’etat and the fighting that erupted. Our apartment was hit and I was forced to leave Lebanon for the USA to continue my studies. But before the end of the semester my late mother was taken ill, and the doctors said it was because I was away from her. So I came back to Lebanon and stayed by her side until death separated us. So my university was in Beirut then Harvard for management studies.

A ‘family business’ puts him on ‘Forbes’ rich list

Najib Mikati refuses to dwell on the fortune he amassed through successful business ventures worldwide, namely telecommunications, that put him and his brother Taha and their 2,6 billion $ each on Forbes magazine rich list. The brothers had founded Investcom in the early 80s, later acquired by MTN after their shares were listed on both the London and Dubai stock exchanges. Today, Mikati Group handles various international businesses from real estate to travel to fashion, and more.
-What is the secret of your success?
- My unique close rapport with my brother. We run a ‘family business’, and it’s successful thanks to my brother and the way he handles things- he assumes and develops and takes initiatives, and we all help along. We succeeded with the grace of God.
- Where do you base your business?
- We are in 20 countries almost, having merged last year with MTN, of which we’re the largest shareholders. Our other businesses cover real estate and development, fashion- we recently bought the label Faconnable, and we’re also in the aviation business- we own Flybaboo flying from Switzerland.
- Where was the defining moment?
- Success is always defined through hard work and perseverance. First come the fear of God and the goodwill of the parents. Hard work has to have solid, honest foundations.
-Success was swift. Did you expand too quickly?
- No. We first worked in telecommunications. Then after the merge we expanded in industries. Our latest is in North Lebanon, where we’re striving to secure employment and invigorate the area economically.

A faithful brother, a blissful husband, and… a friendly father

Najib Mikati is a family man, brought up in a closely-knit family. His parents were his guidance in life. When they passed away, he was heartbroken. Everybody remembers his tears at the passing of his mother, sitting behind the wheel in her cortege from Beirut to Tripoli.
He holds his elder brother Taha in the highest esteem, and handles his own children as his father once handled him- first as a friend and then as a father figure. As for his wife May Doumani, married to her at 23, he grants her the biggest share in his success and in bringing up his family in the best possible way.
- How was the rapport between your parents?
- We were very close. We came from a middle-class background, with education the first priority. We were seven children and we received the best education. Both my parents came from large families so we benefited from that extended family bond, especially during the summer holidays in Hasroun in North Lebanon. We would play together and share our meals and our evenings, it was very bonding.
- Are family ties more important than university?
- Family is very important. My brother Taha is now, after the passing of our dear parents, the bonding force of our family. We follow him in everything, and he guides us like a father would his children.
- What have you brought to your own family?
- The same thing. Love and respect. I thank God Almighty for my happy married life. This reflects positively on the children.
- So this is the secret of a happy family life?
- The secret is a good spouse. It was the case with my father and now it’s the same with all of us.
- How close are you to your children?
- Very very close. I hardly accepted invitations for lunch because that was the time for my family, when the children came back from school. We would sit round the table and talk and that was to me better than any invitation.
- Do you follow them closely?
- I scrutinize everything about them.
- How do you interact?
- Sometimes we joke too much. It’s a true friendship rather than a father/offspring relationship.
- Do you prefer to be their friend or their father?
- Each situation has its own dictate.
- What about your wife?
- I met my wife when I was a student and I’ve been with her ever since. She struggled with me and persevered. I owe her my success in bringing up a good family on sound principles and values.
- When did you get married?
- I was 23. I became a father at 24. This brings me closer to my children, making me their friend, while keeping the necessary decorum.
- Why does your family shy away from publicity?
- That was the request of my wife the day I became minister. A photographer came along with a journalist to the living room to photograph the family. She refused saying he is the minister and the public issue and we are not. She didn’t want to jeopardize the normal upbringing of our children.
- What about your children?
- Maher, my eldest, is 27. He’s married to Dana Saade and has a son- Najib. My daughter Mira is 25 and is married to my nephew Ali Bdeir and has a daughter- Najla. My youngest, Malek, is 18 and at university.
- What’s your hobby?
- Reading.

A politician form his tender age

- Were you interested in politics in your youth?
- I was but it didn’t occur to me that I will become a politician. I followed politics. At 13, I’d go to parliament and attend sessions, just out of curiosity. I’d ask for an admission card. I remember it was pink. I attended a session once that lasted until 3am, when prime minister Rashid Karame resigned in 1969. This created a void and later led to the ‘Cairo Agreement’. I remember how during that session Kamal Jumblatt- then a minister as well as a member of parliament- fell asleep.
- Did these memories accompany you as you first entered parliament yourself?
- Yes. When I went in as a member of parliament and also as a minister. I’d watch the crowd and how people were looking at me, and I remember how I was sitting.
- Did you ever think, as you sat there as a spectator, that you’ll enter politics one day?
- It everybody’s right to dream and to be ambitious. Of course I thought about these things but I believed they were far-fetched because we were not a political family and traditionally we never handled politics, and politics was passed on as if hereditary. I never thought there was a place for me there. It was as if I was a spectator watching a film and wishing to be a player. But I never really planned it.
- How did your family feel about you becoming a political figure?
- I never kept anything away from my family. Often I’d come back home late, taking public transport, knowing there were two opinions waiting for me. One opposing my attachment to politics, the other letting me be. I loved politics, I knew the names of all parliamentarians and their constituencies and even the number of votes they got and their rivals. It became my hobby.
- Did this hobby turn occupation somehow?
- No. I was an observer. I’d sit with the adults, our visitors who’d ask to talk politics with me, although I was still a child.
-Your youth saw tempestuous times, leading to the civil strife. Where were you in all this?
- At home, we’d always been conciliatory. We weren’t ‘warring’ people; we always advocated peace, looking for reconciliation in any given crisis. This stayed with me ever since. Some believe that being in the middle is nonsense, but I say it’s in fact very difficult. It’s being in the heart of things, like the heart of a city, where people meet.
- What are the main political events you recall?
-I recall vividly the events of 1958. I was three. We hid from the bullets in the corners of the house. I also remember the events of 1960, the attempt to topple President Fouad Chehab. I wanted Chehab to extend his presidency because I saw he was attempting to build a true nation. When he declined I admired him even more. When President Charles Helou was elected by a large majority I was very happy with the role of democracy bringing in the winds of change. During his mandate, I remember the 1967 war and the demonstrations that followed in 1969 instigated by the Palestinians and which resulted in curfews and the resignation of Cabinet.I was saddened by the bloodshed but I’d always favored the will of the government.
I also remember the election of Soleiman Frangieh who became president by one vote. I was happy because he comes from the North.
I always favored moderation, and the respect of the opinions of others. Who wouldn’t be impressed with ’14 March’ and their call for Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence? Equally, with ‘8 March’ and their resistance and their stand on regional issues. I agree with the one just as much as I agree with the other. It goes alongside my own vision of things.
- And your life in the ministry?
- I remember I stopped all projects I believed were redundant although someone told me that politics in a specific ministry was to allocate projects for contractors’ profit.
- Were you disheartened?
- On the contrary, it made me more adamant to move forth guided by my own principles.
- Then you entered Parliament…
- It was an honor for me to represent the North. Especially that we were there to serve our people. I believe I fared well, to the point that I was selected, following the assassination of the late Rafik Hariri.
- Why did you not run for elections?
- We’re human. I couldn’t be running and simultaneously organizing free and fair elections.
- Is that why you withdrew from the telecom and other businesses?
- Naturally. I liquidated our business and today we don’t have any business in Lebanon except some existing private properties. It was a very difficult period in our country, and fair play was paramount; I asked all ministers not to run for elections.
- How did you live that period and what came out of it?
- I felt gratified for the trust all Lebanese put in me. My cabinet was trusted and I was able to deal comfortably but justly with everybody. We took pride in our work and prepared a concise 70 points program that changed the economic profile of the country. The Solidere share rose from 13$ to 17$. Most importantly, we handled free and fair elections. And no one complained about the way the elections were conducted, but rather on the election law itself… Then we handed over the government.
- Is your political ambition over?
- Not at all. I’m not a deputy but I’m available to all and I offer my services to all. Today, I don’t envy the prime minister; with this present climate of irrationalities, it’s very difficult to achieve anything. I’m not after a specific position, but I believe in what I’m doing today, with my international travels and contacts. I give my reading of the prevailing situation.
- Do you believe moderation is the right strategy today?
- It’s not an absolute concept. I cannot be at an equal distance from one who loves his country and one who doesn’t…