Press Statement by LCP General Secretary Hanna Gharib
Beirut, March 18th 2021
Dear Lebanese People, and representatives of the present media organisations
The Lebanese people can no longer sustain their lives. Day after day, everything is collapsing with a tremendous increase in the US Dollar exchange rate to the Lebanese Pound. Essential household commodities are being in shortage and the Lebanese people are fighting against each other to purchase them. This scene never happened in Lebanon, even during its past civil wars! Moreover, hundreds of retail shops could no longer operate and many of them shut down. And, unfortunately, things are getting worse in light of statements issued by supermarkets, bakeries, pharmacies, and gas stations, all warning that they will either shut down their operations, or start selling their items, not as per the official set exchange rate ( 1$=1515 LBP), but according to the rate found in the black market. This comes at a time when the majority of Lebanese citizens had lost a considerable amount of their purchasing power; estimates indicate that the national currency had lost 83 % of its value.
Based on the above- stated facts, we can easily say that the situation in Lebanon has reached the deepest level of a bottom line that the country started to enter, since Autumn of 2019. Years before that, The Lebanese Communist Party had repeatedly warned the ruling class of the consequences resulting from the adopted socio-economic crisis. But, none of the political factions took an action in order to remedy this situation, nor to address the root causes of the problem.
No one can ever imagine that solutions can be offered by this ruling class, because they are responsible for the crisis the country is passing through. Their only aim is to maximize their profits and to take advantage of the state resources and capabilities. The ruling class had facilitated transactions of enormous amounts of money, not during the October 17 uprising, but months after it as well. Furthermore, they did not invest any of the foreign investments, and the capital being fled to the country throughout the past 30 years, to build and operate factories, industries, and agricultural sites. The majority of Lebanese youth emigrated, and this had a catastrophic effect on the unity of the families- a core unit in the society. This class resembles an alliance between capitalists and feudal lords.
Therefore, I need to take this opportunity to ask the country’s political factions about their fake promises. Some factions had expressed intentions to fight corruption by taking serious and tangible measures to fight it. However, this had never happened. On the other hand, some factions continuously express their concerns over the sovereignty and independence of the country. But, when it comes to addressing the demands of the Lebanese people, they tend to align themselves to foreign powers. How come not a single minister or MP is held accountable.
Over the past weeks, the country’s political factions tried to infiltrate the media with slogans and propaganda. In specific, they comprise of the following slogans: adopting the “ neutralism doctrine”, calling for “ federalism”, advocating for a new power- sharing formula among Christians, Muslim Sunni’s and Muslim Shiaa’s, and finally calling for an urgent parlaimenatry electons but under the current adopted electoral laws. To us, none of these slogans and statements constitute an effective, suitable, and long- during alternative to our crisis. These agendas strengthen the confessional divisions among the Lebanese, while what is needed is to delete sectarianism- being a deeply rooted system of ethics, values, and practices in Lebanon.
Now after we presented the entire situation, I will specify the needed elements of a full pledged reform programme.
It is true that the foreign interventions, particularly the US pressures exerted on our state, have drastic effects on the situation, however, the crisis in Lebanon is far beyond this; it is more of a structural nature. The political system established after the Taef Agreement of 1989 had fallen and no longer serves the needs of the society. The change we look for and endorse is a one whose nature and components stem from the real demands of the people. Ironically, some political factions are using the popular and rightful demands of the Lebanese people in order to leverage their positions vis-a-vis their counterparts in the country. LCP sees the change as a culmination of sacrifices that need to be put from all October 17 factions and groups. Only through this, we can move toward a free, democratic, and secular country. All the free-will individuals and groups who took part in the uprising are required to unite their efforts in order to form a nation-wide coalition that would be entrusted to run the country’s affairs during a pre-set transitional phase.
The October 17 uprising is the only hope for our country. We urge all activists to escalate the popular movements, to get rid of this ruling class. It is the uprising that can stand for the dignity of the Lebanese people and their will to achieve social justice, including universal health coverage, provision of free vaccinations for all citizens, ensuring a good quality of the formal education, permitting the parents of Lebanese students who are studying abroad to transfer dollars to their children, fixing salaries and wages, protecting social benefits and guaranteeing bodies, fighting monopolies, liberating protestors who are still in jail or have to sit for sessions in the military court, and findings alternatives methods in case the government decided to left subsidies. All of these are basic rights that will not be possible to achieve as long as the system of corruption and sectarian quotas are in place.
Our project is a political project to establish an alternative secular and democratic state. The uprising will continue to exert pressures on the ruling class until the moment they will be removed from office. As long as the ruling class is in power, the sufferings of the Lebanese people will unfortunately continue. We have nothing to lose, but we have many things to win instead!
On a final note, LCP calls on its party members and supporters to take part in the demonstrations scheduled to take place during the upcoming few days in Beirut, Marajaayoun-Hasbaya district, and Nabatiyeh. Moreover, there will be a massive and central demonstration in Beirut on Sunday March 28th. Protestors will march from the Central Bank in Hamra, Beirut, at 11 AM. Let us mobilize our resources, and continue with our struggle path, from now until Labor Day!
