Lebanese President Michel Aoun said that the failure of every plan put forward for financial and economic recovery in Lebanon means that the corrupt system fears accountability, as he put it.
In a statement published by the Lebanese presidency’s page on Twitter, Aoun added that every popular revolution must be based on identifying losses, holding officials accountable, and finding solutions at the expense of those who caused the disaster, as he described it.
Aoun also described the Lebanese people as the victim, and that he must know who humiliates him daily to obtain his most basic rights and prevent him from disposing of his money and assets freely.
Aoun explained - during his meeting with a youth delegation at the Presidential Palace of Baabda (east of Beirut) - that the failure to determine the responsibility for the financial losses led to ignoring those responsible for the ruin of the country, and to hold the people alone responsible for the financial collapse and the depletion of their bank deposits.
He added, "My people are stolen and steal daily (..) the people are the victim, and no one can blame them for the consequences of the wrong, destructive and corrupt policies in Lebanon."
He concluded his speech to the youth with the phrase, "The people should know who humiliates them daily to get their most basic rights, and prevent them from disposing of their money without naming them as persons or political blocs."
Since late 2019, Lebanon has been suffering from a major economic crisis that has led to a financial collapse, the loss of fuel, medicine, and other basic commodities, as well as a record rise in poverty and unemployment rates.
Poverty affected about 74% of the Lebanese during 2021, after it recorded 55% the previous year, and 28% in 2019, according to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.