President of the National Dialogue Party, MP Fouad Makhzoumi, stressed that the situation in Lebanon required the government to issue an exceptional policy statement that would both meet the aspirations of the Lebanese people and restore the confidence of the international community in Lebanon. However, the statement issued by the government that called itself “Together for Rescue” was nothing more than a continuation of the implementation of the collapse plan.
MP Makhzoumi outlined the key points that fail to address the demands of the Lebanese people and could pave the way for further deterioration:
On elections: The government pledged to hold parliamentary elections on their constitutionally scheduled date, tentatively set for next spring, but without introducing any amendments to the electoral law or addressing the situation of expatriates. It also pledged to hold municipal and mayoral elections, but without confirming when they would take place, raising doubts about the seriousness of this commitment.
On the budget: The statement skipped over the 2021 budget and the final accounts, stating only that the government would work to complete the 2022 budget.
On the banking sector: Once again, the government placed the interests of banks holding depositors’ funds above those of citizens by including the phrase “developing a plan to reform and restructure the banking sector where necessary.” Instead, it should have committed to restructuring the banks that had amassed enormous profits since 2016 through the financial engineering operations conducted by Banque du Liban.
On the judiciary: The statement included lofty but vague slogans, most notably pledges to enact a law guaranteeing judicial independence, complete the appointment of members of the Higher Judicial Council, and finalize judicial appointments and transfers. Yet it failed to address the steps and criteria the government would adopt to ensure genuine judicial independence, particularly given the need for judicial bodies capable of operating effectively, free from any pressure or interference.
On the Beirut Port file: The wording remained broad and ambiguous, offering nothing new on the issue of immunities in particular. The statement referred to “taking all necessary measures regarding immunities and privileges” without addressing ways to cooperate with the investigating judge, especially amid repeated attacks against him by certain ruling political forces.
Moreover, on all the key issues it addressed—from financial and monetary reforms, combating corruption, providing a social safety net and the funding card, to the forensic audit, recovering funds transferred abroad, capital controls, and incentives for the productive economy, as well as implementing the displacement policy paper and enacting a law on administrative decentralization—the statement merely offered vague and ambiguous slogans. It failed to specify the criteria and mechanisms that would govern and ensure the implementation of these commitments, even though they had already appeared in most previous ministerial statements and remained nothing more than words on paper.
In any case, confidence cannot be granted to a government formed through piecemeal arrangements and power-sharing quotas—a government whose decisions, contrary to what the constitution stipulates, are not made collectively but lie in the hands of Hezbollah, the party that has bypassed the state and seized control of its decision-making. The government and its statement are nothing more than a “facade” designed to save the party’s face, while Lebanon’s face is shrouded in darkness and its citizens are subjected to humiliation.
For all these reasons… No confidence.