Hariri ready to be PM again but on his terms

WANTS TECHNOCRATS TO IMPLEMENT REFORMS TO AVOID ECONOMIC COLLAPSE

Saad Hariri is ready to return as prime minister of a new government, a senior official familiar with his thinking said, on condition it includes technocrats and be capable of implementing reforms needed to stave off economic collapse.

Hariri’s resignation on Tuesday has left Lebanon with a political vacuum at a moment of acute crisis with reforms urgently needed to ward off even deeper financial problems in one of the world’s most heavily indebted states.

The senior official, who declined to be identified, said any new cabinet led by Hariri should be devoid of a group of top-tier politicians who were in the outgoing coalition government, without naming them.

The outgoing cabinet comprised top representatives of most of sectarian parties, among them foreign minister Gebran Bassil of the Christian Free Patriotic Movement who has been a prominent target of protesters.

Bassil is a political ally of the powerful Iran-backed group Hezbollah, which had opposed the government’s resignation and has yet to comment on the resignation of Hariri, a longtime opponent of the group.

President Michel Aoun formally asked Hariri yesterday to continue in a caretaker role until a new cabinet is formed. Main roads in Lebanon reopened yesterday.

Lebanon’s prime minister submitted his resignation on Tuesday, bowing to nearly two weeks of unprecedented nationwide protests against corruption and sectarianism. Saad Hariri’s sombre televised address was met with cheers from crowds of protesters who have remained mobilised since October 17, crippling the country to press for their demands. He said his decision comes “in response to the will of many Lebanese who took to the streets to demand change”.

After Hariri’s announcement, protesters across the country erupted in applause, but it is unclear whether they will be content with the resignation. While they say Hariri’s resignation is a good first step, many others want a complete overhaul of the country’s sectarianbased governing system. They also want to see the ouster of Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, as well as other dominant political elites in powerful positions.

The protesters also say those who have been practising corruption need to have their day in court and be held to account. They say that stopping protests now will only prolong drastic reforms and allow time for the government to drag their feet.

The Lebanese have long complained of systemic and crippling corruption in their government and protests have sporadically gripped parts of the nation in the past few years. The inability of the government to clamp down and properly address corruption has unified the Lebanese from across various sectarian lines. Economic protests have gripped several other countries in the Middle East this year, as we have seen in Algeria, Sudan, Iraq and now Lebanon. But in Lebanon, where there is a parliamentary system and so-called democracy, many citizens are frustrated and criticise the red tape and bureaucracy that have made the parliament unable to pass any effective legislation.

The protesters have proved that they are a force to reckon with, having stayed in the streets for two straight weeks. They have also been attacked by Hezbollah and Amal supporters. This means that the government needs to go into an overdrive to implement drastic reforms to meet people’s demands. For the first time in decades, the Lebanese are freeing themselves of the sectarian chains that have held them back for so long. The government can no longer fool the public, who, going forward, will expect nothing less than full transparency and accountability.

“I think if you let in EU parliamentarians, you should also let in Indian opposition leaders into Kashmir.”