Diab’s government statement .. This is how the Lebanese commented

Wassim Al-Zuhairi - Beirut

About two weeks after its formation, the Lebanese government headed by Hassan Diab approved the ministerial statement expressing its policies and orientations for the next stage, amid objections from activists of the popular movement, who described it as loose and repetitive.

The statement was referred to Parliament for discussion and the government was given confidence on its basis, in a session on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Diab government is expected to gain confidence due to the support of its main blocs, especially the powerful Lebanon bloc loyal to President Michel Aoun, in addition to the Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (Development and Liberation) bloc, as well as the pro-government "Hezbollah" and other deputies.

The ministerial statement confirms the government's independence from political attraction, and that many of the movement's demands are at the heart of its plan, and notes that Lebanon faces a fateful socio-economic crisis that requires taking what he called painful rational steps within a comprehensive rescue plan.

The statement also states that the government will put in place an emergency plan, a basket of financial, judicial, and legislative reforms and measures that stimulate the transition from a rentier economy to a productive economy. It also includes reducing interest on loans and deposits to revive the economy and reducing the cost of debt.

The statement urges the elimination of the prosecution of files suspected of corruption, and stresses the implementation of laws related to fighting corruption, and the implementation of tax reforms.

He rejected the popular movement
In this context, the activist in the popular movement, Mahmoud Fakih, believes that the ministerial statement carries loose headlines and repeated promises thirty years ago.

Fakih pointed out to Al Jazeera Net that the statement spoke about painful financial and economic measures, but he did not talk about how to fight corruption, considering that it does not augur well, because it adopts the same old policies in terms of privatization, taxation and more exhaustion on the Lebanese people, stressing that this does not encourage To trust the government.

The government ministerial statement also included working to reduce public debt, restore the stability of the banking system by structuring this sector and recapitalizing banks.

It affirms Lebanon's move away from external conflicts, the adoption of an independent policy based on Lebanon's supreme interest and respect for international law, and stresses the state's duty and endeavor to liberate the Shebaa Farms and hills of Kafr Shuba and the Lebanese part of the Roma village from the Israeli occupation, while emphasizing the right of Lebanese women and citizens to resist the occupation.

Meanwhile, groups of the popular movement began preparing for moves on the ground to prevent parliamentarians from reaching parliament on the day of the government's confidence-giving session next week.

Fakih asserted that the protesters will be on the street to prove that the popular uprising continues, and that it is sticking to its demands to form an independent government of specialists, and to hold early parliamentary elections outside the sectarian restriction.

In his comment on the ministerial statement, the writer and political analyst Ibrahim Haidar saw that there is part of the statement reproduced in whole or in part from the previous statements. He said that the ministerial statement confirms that this government is not absolutely independent once it reproduces certain points from the previous statements, confirming its response to the demands of political forces in the authority.

Haider pointed out to Al Jazeera Net that the government is trying to present the statement as a rescue for the next stage, especially in the financial aspect, noting that the opposition of political forces led to amendments to the statement, especially in the issues of electricity, privatization and the relationship with banks and others.

He believed that the statement as it stands is a statement of fact, and it also constitutes a message to the international community, which will also deal with the government as a fait accompli. Haider stressed that the failure of the government in the next stage will lead to catastrophic results, and may take the country to a kind of chaos, in light of the existing financial and economic problems.