Twenty days were sufficient to recognize the true reasons for the appointments of Hassan Diab and the snubbing of Saad Al-Hariri by the Bassil-Hezbollah alliance. Twenty days after being granted the confidence of the parliament, Diab clearly demonstrated that he is upholding the banks arbitrary policies and injustices against the depositors. His administration not only squandered depositor’s money, but it is now also seeking to legalize the seizure of those deposits and intimidate people by using money that belongs to them!
An Inept Government
Diab’s dangerous statement yesterday in the Serail, held in front of the retired honorary consular corps, reveals that he is continuing down the path of his predecessors as he restricted the available options of Lebanon and narrowed the possible choices to the point of despair. The two choices were to return to obedience, maintain loyalty, accept high taxes and commit to paying, or to remain in an economic crisis with a government unable to provide basic protection or basic needs.
Read more: Diab’s Cabinet: Between Internal Struggles and External Pressures
Diab candidly stated: “Quite frankly, and in light of the current circumstances, this government is no longer able to protect the Lebanese people and provide a decent life for them. In the interest of full transparency, the state has lost the confidence of the Lebanese in it. And realistically, the relationship between the state and the Lebanese people has fallen to a near complete halt.”
In light of Diab’s failure to perform the required rescue operations, his resignation as well as his entire team of “specialists” has become necessary. He must give way for a truly competent and honest alternative to take his place without wasting any more time on empty expressions and excuses.
Activists and core groups involved in the October 17th revolution say that they had rejected the appointment of Diab since the very beginning. This is because it was known that he was handpicked by the current administration to continue their existing plan and trajectory. Until this very day, he is still on the same path. He has left the financial system and those controlling it in place and in power. He has not interfered with the quota systems, nor has he halted the judicial appointees that the ruling class has a vested interest in selecting, as they chose their own subordinated for these positions regardless of any objective qualifications.
Personal Ambitions
Shortly after gaining the confidence of the parliament, Diab raced to appoint his wife, albeit a custom, as President of the National Authority for Women’s Affairs. The minister of finance Ghazi Wazni also hired his wife as an unpaid consultant. Soon after, most of the ministers turned into consultants or shadow ministers to their predecessors who remained the true decision makers behind the scene.
Those who can recall Diab’s insistence on accepting “mission impossible” can deduce his personal desire for status, especially as he spared no time taking selfies after his arrival at the palace. In addition to that, sooner rather than later he moved into the Serail and achieved the position of power he craved the most. He may as well be eyeing publishing another book at the expense of the government.
The Continued Blackmail
Last night, after the public interacted and commented on his statements on social media, he proceeded to accuse all those who criticized him and his provocative statements. He seemed as someone living on another planet or so high up his own ivory towers that the suffering of his people did not exist.
Diab said in a follow-up statement: “Once again, the same orchestra resorts to falsification and using out of context statements to distort and incite. Unfortunately, some rush, voluntarily or ignorantly, to issue statements that indicate bad faith, collusion, or simply repeating what they are told without reading the facts.”
He pointed out that: “[He] Communicated honestly to the people the facts about the state of the government, and he is still determined, again and again, to tackle these chronic issues and transform Lebanon into a successful state.”
He concluded: “This orchestra seems to have realized that the concept of the state is not suited for itself because it wants to continue to destroy the remaining pillars of stability to protect itself. However, but the rule of law will inevitably be established in order to protect the citizens paying the price today.”
