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The head of the interim government, Dr. Hassan Diab, of the government offices, gave a speech in which he said: “A few days after the anniversary of the Lebanese uprising on October 17, against the policies that were adopted for decades, and provoked this acute collapse that the country has reached at various levels, financial, monetary, economic, social and living conditions. We must stop at the dangerous moment that Lebanon and the Lebanese are going through. Therefore, there must be a wake-up call that awakens the remaining consciousness and responsibility and ends the state of circulation in the vicious circle.
National responsibility requires that all politicians, in any position and in any party, reach the level of anxiety that resides in the minds and hearts of the Lebanese, and feel what the eyes hold in the tears that mix with fear. and sadness, and realize that the Lebanese have the ability to bear pain. Reeling at the pressing social and life diaries, and to take into account the patience of the Lebanese, who is about to run out, and that the uprising of October 17, 2019 was an alarm bell, while the next uprising will be a complete revolution with elements, components, performance and accountability.
He added: “Lebanon is going through a difficult time today, and the Lebanese are going through difficult days. Political disputes, sectarian calculations, partisan, factional and personal interests were and continue to be a priority over the fate of the homeland and the concerns of the Lebanese who today are paying the price for these decades-long policies, which were a gateway to corruption. Who governs all the articulations of the state.
Unfortunately, the concept of the state in Lebanon is discretionary, subject to a changing interpretation according to the needs and requirements of the interests, and there is no fixed concept that dedicates the idea of a strong, fair and united state to the interests of all its interests. citizens, regardless of their affiliation. Therefore, these interpretations subject the components of the state to standards that serve accounting and favoritism, and employment became based on narrow accounts, and the specifications for appointments in state administrations adopted the certificate of affiliation as a priority, and the value and standards of certificates of competence, integrity and transparency decreased. All this led to this reality that transformed state administrations into political, sectarian, sectarian, partisan or personal federations, which wove umbrellas to protect the system from corruption and take care of the rules of the corrupt, so accountability began to be based on in rule 6 and 6a it has always been a strong incubator for corruption, and why. Comfortable for the corrupt and those who protect them.
He continued: “The situation the country has reached demands that everyone maintain conscience, rise above immediate achievements, overcome political disputes, promote the national interest and the interest of the people above personal interests. The Lebanese youth have turned in search of the opportunity to emigrate to any place in the world, in search of security and stability, that we are beginning to lose their last characteristics in Lebanon, and here are the ships of death migration giving a serious indication of the extent of the despair that afflicted the Lebanese of their reality, and the capacity for change that ensures them. A minimum of elements for a decent life.
In addition, there are those who are pushing the idea of eliminating subsidies for medicines, flour, food and fuel.
The Bank of Lebanon trend to increase subsidies is unacceptable at this time, as life and social pressures are severe on the Lebanese, and their purchasing power has drastically eroded as a result of the monetary collapse resulting from previous financial policies that they depleted the country’s capacities, impoverished the Lebanese and caused these huge financial gaps in the finances of the state and the Bank of Lebanon and in Deposits of the Lebanese.
No one is asking us to be careful with the BDL reserves, because we are the ones who made the historic decision to stop paying the debt, and if we had paid the Eurobonds this year, which amounted to almost $ 5 billion, the reserve would have decreased from $ 22.5 billion to $ 17.5 billion, and this standard would have been What the Banque du Liban talks today to lift subsidies for medicines, food, flour and fuel, was implemented since last March.
Likewise, what has been spent on the importation of medicines, food, flour and fuel, from the beginning of this year until today, amounted to about 4 billion dollars, and by the end of this year it may reach what is equivalent to the value of this year’s debt that we refuse to pay, in addition to this amount. It’s less than the usual annual bill of about $ 7 billion. “
And he added: “Any step by the Banque du Liban to lift subsidies has its responsibility to all those who support or cover such a decision, because it will lead to a social explosion, the consequences of which will be disastrous, and therefore the loss resulting from the continuation The support is much less than the losses that will result from a non-decision. My theme got support. It would be preferable if the Banque du Liban had warned about the financial policies that led to what the country had achieved, and had made a decision in recent decades to stop the downward path, and stopped supporting the financing of the policies of successive governments that caused this financial, social and vital collapse.
It would be desirable for Banque du Liban to stop financing waste policies in the state with funds from depositors that it should have protected. And if in the past the Banque du Liban could not resist the political pressures of successive governments, today it is not understandable to intimidate people by eliminating subsidies, and thus starving Lebanese and depriving them of medicine and a loaf of bread.
We say with our mouths full: No to eliminating subsidies on medicines, flour, food and fuel today.
Yes, in the current financial situation of the state, it is possible to adopt a rule of rationalization of the support, so that the people who really need it benefit from it, but I warn that canceling the subsidies will have disastrous consequences for the Lebanese and the country.
We also say with our mouths full that Lebanese deposits must be returned, and this is the responsibility of the three parties involved: the banks, the Bank of Lebanon and the state. The government has established a roadmap to return depositors’ money, and the next government should make this a priority in its work program. Circumstances do not tolerate wasting time, political rivalries, malicious and vindictive practices, and mutually impossible conditions.
He said: “When this government came in, there was a continuous collapse, both economically and financially, which pushed the Lebanese onto the streets and toppled the previous government. Then came the Corona pandemic, depleting a great deal of financial potential and increasing pressure on the already depleted economy. Then the devastating port of Beirut exploded. This government has not stopped fulfilling its responsibilities even after his resignation, and has fulfilled its duty to do business with all its constitutional powers, because it feels its national responsibilities, especially in the face of these difficult circumstances that the country is going through. But what is required today, as soon as possible, and two months after the resignation of the government, is to form a government that works and is capable of dealing with the great challenges facing Lebanon and the Lebanese, because the country cannot wait. another two months. I am here as I hope that the binding parliamentary consultations will bear fruit on 15 October. I pray for the success of the president who will be appointed and I hope that he accelerates the formation of a government, since Lebanon is not allowed to remain stuck in its crises waiting for electoral rights in this or that country.
He added: “There is also an urgent need to form a government to deal with the repercussions of the Beirut port explosion, at the level of follow-up on the ongoing investigations to hold those responsible for this explosion accountable and rebuild what was destroyed, and the current government has made the decision to compensate those affected and has put in place a mechanism to implement this decision in stages. It is assumed that this mechanism will begin to function in a short period of time. I sincerely call for the restoration of life in the initiative launched by French President Emmanuel Macron, which focuses on reforms that closely coincide with the reform program that our government has launched since its formation.
He continued: “These facts confirm that Lebanon needs a government that works, right now. We have done everything we can to put the reform process on track, and we actually blew the siren of your train, and we accomplished something, because we believe that it is not possible to cross Lebanon from your reality based on sharing. The State is among the political forces, towards the framework of a single State for all its citizens, without a fixed strategy that conceives of Lebanon as a homeland in which all its citizens are equal in rights and duties and before the State and the justice, and thus formulates a clear vision of the identity of the political system that ensures national stability, protects all components and reassures all citizens. The state is the only reference they refer to.
He concluded: “I am confident that the Lebanese will create their future with their firm determination, preserve their homeland with the firmness of their belonging, protect the unity of Lebanon with the strength of their ties and write an honorable history for future generations. The Lebanese are a people who love life and will not shirk their responsibility to protect Lebanon, for themselves, their children, their grandchildren and subsequent generations. May God protect Lebanon from the evil of the envious. May God protect Lebanon from the plots of ambushes. May God protect Lebanon. You lived and lived Lebanon. “
Source: National Information Agency
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