Across government offices, people’s concerns have been moving from one desk to another — their empty pockets, crippling bills, and difficult living conditions, the result of actions by some and negligence by others.
From the Grand Serail, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam opened the ledger on the country’s economic and living conditions, addressing the Lebanese in a transparent and straightforward manner, putting the facts of the crisis into perspective and summarizing its main causes, from the contraction triggered by the war to the global rise in prices.
Yet he did not shy away from taking responsibility, speaking of duties that fall on all of us, foremost among them intensifying inspection and oversight operations. He also presented solutions adopted by the government for the foreseeable future, from wage adjustments to increased allocations for health and social affairs, reassuring citizens that there would be no new taxes included in the budget.
From the Grand Serail, Salam also opened the electricity file, stressing that some generator owners would not be allowed to make illicit profits at the expense of people’s suffering.
And that suffering is largely the result of poor management and miscalculations at Electricité du Liban, amid a barrage of flimsy justifications.
The electricity issue then moved from the Grand Serail to Nejmeh Square, where the Public Works Committee opened the files on negligence, failures and false claims involving Electricité du Liban and its director general, Kamal Hayek, who took shelter behind a supposed legal dispute to justify not operating the power plants and supplying citizens with electricity.
The committee summoned all the parties concerned — from Hayek to the operating company MEP and the regulatory authority — and came out with what it considered the appropriate solution: restarting the Jiyé and Zouk power plants.
The proposed solution did not, in fact, require much effort or ingenuity. What happened was the result of extraordinary negligence by a director general, seemingly driven by political vendettas and personal interests, with the reasons left hanging on the high-voltage lines of political tension.
Had this solution been adopted from the outset, particularly with fuel already available in storage, millions of dollars could have been saved from citizens’ pockets.
The Energy Minister, who is currently suspending his duties, was informed of the decision at his office. He is the one who chose to continue reporting to the ministry while depriving the Cabinet of his presence.
Today, based on the Public Works Committee’s decision, he can rely on the committee and its parliamentary investigative work to push forward with implementing the decision. In doing so, he may, of his own accord, contribute to removing the reasons and circumstances behind his decision to suspend his duties.
From the concerns of the Grand Serail and Nejmeh Square to Ain al-Tineh, the concern of its occupant is focused on the next stage, particularly the end of UNIFIL’s mandate without an alternative being found under the United Nations umbrella.
President Nabih Berri considers this to be tantamount to targeting international legitimacy and its resolutions, while the core problem remains Israel’s failure to abide by all agreements.
With the Framework Agreement in mind, attention is now turning to the anticipated Tampa round in Florida.
According to information obtained by Al Jadeed, the U.S. side is seeking to reach an agreement on a second pilot zone, along with a verification mechanism and arrangements containing field guarantees that can actually be implemented.
The next phase will be built around the results of these pilot arrangements, while taking Israel’s electoral calendar into account.
Between Netanyahu’s ballot box and the Tampa negotiating table, a fierce race is underway — one that Washington may ultimately decide, either toward de-escalation or further escalation.