Governmental reform plan needed to safeguard Lebanon’s sovereignty
The Lebanese National Bloc Party commented on Deputy Secretary General of Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem statement: “We refuse to submit to the International Monetary Fund to manage the crisis”, saying that this is what all the parties in power are thinking for different reasons. The Bloc stressed that it was a given that no citizen will submit to the dictates of the “International Monetary Fund” or any other organization or country because that would be a humiliation to Lebanon and a violation of its sovereignty.
In a statement, the National Bloc questioned Sheikh Naim Qassem and other parties in powers on the reasons they do not divulge to the public the reasons that Lebanon is now forced to get foreign support. 30 years of corruption, waste, and quota systems have led to the bankruptcy of the state despite the Paris 1, 2, 3, and Cedre conventions that offered aid and asked for reforms that were never implemented.
The Bloc sees that what was salvageable 10, 15, or 20 years ago if reforms had been implemented cannot be salvaged today without monetary aid. The growth of the liquidity crisis as a result of mistakes and lack of responsible management forces Lebanon to seek funds that can only be obtained from international funds and countries, and this comes with conditions that cannot be circumvented. These conditions can be summarized by lowering the level of debt and the budget deficit.
Lebanon today is faced with two choices: either the government presents an economic plan based on fundamental reforms that include laws against waste and corruption by next week, or the government will evade the issue by presenting a loose plan that protects the policies of corruption and waste.
The Bloc concluded its statement by warning that if the second choice is taken, aid will only come at the expense of the Lebanese people who will bear the brunt of the burden of reducing the size of debt and the budget deficit with measure such as tax increases and fees. If this is the case, it will be useless to hide behind the rhetoric of sovereignty and the heavy burdens of funds with harsh conditions.