As Lebanon reforms go slowly, protests suggest widening anger

BEIRUT: The unusually wide geographic reach of protests over Lebanon’s dire economy on Sunday suggests deepening anger with an entire class of politicians who have jointly led it into crisis. While the protests were not big — Lebanon’s divisions make large demonstrations rare — they erupted from Beirut to the Bekaa Valley and from Sidon in the south to Tripoli in the north. In Tripoli, protesters took aim at prime ministers past and present, under Lebanon’s ruling conventions. In remote Brital, a flag of the powerful group was torn down. In Beirut, they chanted against all leaders, including the parliament speaker, Christian head of state and premier. Lebanese leaders have said little about Sunday’s protests. For the coalition government led by Prime Minister Saad al Hariri, the focus remains reviving the economy through long-delayed reforms, such as fixing the power sector that bleeds public funds while failing to meet Lebanon’s power needs. In the process, Lebanon hopes for an international seal of approval that will unlock billions in finance for investment. But Jalal Salma, who protested in Tripoli on Sunday, has more immediate worries. “There is real hunger and we can’t see a solution on the horizon. On the contrary, we see a dark future ahead,” he said. Lebanon’s economic problems have been building for years. Shattered by war between 1975 and 1990, Lebanon has one of the world’s highest debt burdens as a share of its economy. Economic growth has been hit by regional conflict and instability. Unemployment for the under 35s runs at 37 per cent. The balance of payments has been negative for years, meaning more money leaves the country than enters it. This financial crunch has added to the impetus for reform. Foreign allies are not yet fully convinced by the pace of change. Some $11 billion pledged 18 months ago in France, conditional on reform, has yet to flow into the economy. “We stressed the importance of delivering on reforms rather than announcing reforms, and of delivering the 2020 budget on time,” Philippe Lazzarini, a top UN official in Lebanon, said on Tuesday after meeting Hariri. — Reuters