Bi-weekly report on Lebanon
Posted by: adonis49 on: November 14, 2008
Bi-weekly report on Lebanon (November 15, 2008)
My bi-weekly report, and it could be a semi-annual report with no measurable significance in content, is another “Southern California weather update” as to fundamental changes in social or political reforms.
President Suleiman has resumed his flying vagabondage; he has already broken a world record on number of flights since his inauguration; more than 25 trips outside Lebanon have landed him in the regional States and Europe and twice in the USA; I guess our President is sending the strong signal that no serious mediation among the Lebanese factions to come to reason is feasible before the next election of the Parliament. President Suleiman is delivering speeches on religions too and has suggested Beirut to be the main center for religious dialogue. Lebanon has a variety of religions, 19 recognized sects by the government and as many unrecognized; I guess our President has realized that we lack Buddhism, Taoists, Hindus, and some varieties of modern Christian-Jews; yes, we do have the Jehovah Witness sect but this Christian-Jew sect is of last century variation which is currently trying to figure out how to increase the number of “select” delegates to sit around Jesus at the end of time.
Deputy Saad Hariri has circumvented the whole government and the minister of Defense and half a dozen other ministries by signing contracts with Russia Poutine and negotiating arm deals for the army. Yes, he is the same middle-man of the Saudi monarchy who funneled funds through his “Mediterranean Sea” Bank to the Sunni salafists in Tripoli; the army had lost over 165 martyrs and three times as many disabled soldiers to put down the “Fateh Al Islam” revolt in Nahr Al Bared’s Palestinian camp.
The Minister of the Interior visited Damascus with the top security and intelligence officers to discuss borders security; a commission has been suggested for sharing security intelligence and pending government ratification and maybe Parliament approval (a Parliament that half its members are ministers and the other half are resuming their vacations abroad since 2005. The Lebanese little people are working double shifts not to survive but to subsidize our super fun loving Deputies.)
The report on a strategic plan, to defending Lebanon from Israel’s pre-emptive attacks, of General Michel Aoun to the meeting of the sectarian “leaders” was met with ridicule from those “not into military thinking” and by instigation of the Hariri clan. These strategic reports were meant to be kept secret and for discussion; but seriousness is fantastically lacking and I do not envision any further discussions on military strategies until after the Parliamentary election. No wonder that President Suleiman is postponing indefinitely these meetings and accepting all kinds of invitations abroad.
Hassan Nasr Allah, the General Secretary of Hezbollah, delivered a televised speech during the celebration of the “martyrs”. The speech was over an hour long and broached many internal, regional and international facets; I heard the last section and it didn’t talk about the politico-philosophical-theological concept of the “wilayat Al Fakeeh”! Nasr Allah responded to the Minister of Finance who claimed that the Lebanese treasury cannot afford arming the army. (If the State of Lebanon does not have the will and the money to finance an army with the appropriate weapons for the purpose of defending its borders then why not merge the army with the internal security forces and save a lot on redundant institutions?) Lebanon has a resistance force that shouldered the burden of defending all of Lebanon against Israel in July 2006 and is stronger now to undertake the task of protecting our borders.
The fact is that since 1992 the successive governments have instituted side funds in uncontrolled departments that should have been affected to the appropriate ministries. For example we have the Council for Construction and Development that should be affiliated to the ministries of Public Affairs and others, the Council for the displaced during the civil war that should be attached to the ministry of Social Affairs, the Council for natural calamities, and the council for reparations after the July war in 2006. All these councils were attached to the office of the Prime Minister so that funds would be allocated to the sectarian leaders supporting the government. Lebanon has so many redundant institutions that not a single one of them is doing its job for the benefit of the little people in dire need of anything resembling reforms and economic prosperity and potential opportunities.
Barak Obama is an extremely lucky person to be voted in president of the USA. If the national (Islamic) resistance forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine have failed to check the US military pre-emptive wars in the “Greater Middle East” region then the Bush’s dynasty would have been enthroned monarch to the USA instead of pariahs.
Deputy Michel Aoun is gearing up to visit Damascus; he is the only leader not to be invited and who has not visited Damascus in over 30 years during its mandate on Lebanon. The Hariri clan alliances are targeting Aoun, their favorite target: he is the strongest Christian Lebanese leader and the one who promised to investigate the financial files of the governments since 1992.
The minister of telecommunication has drastically reduced the fees on the phone lines; what cost 250,000 LL is now 50,000 LL and so forth; just that every one appreciate the range of embezzlement the Hariri clan has siphoned from the Lebanese citizens and the economic prosperity of Lebanon. Our national debt increased $6 billions within a few months and it now stands at $48 billions, more than twice our GNP.
Adonis Diaries 
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