Michael Karam: Economic priorities and industry in Lebanon found way down the list



A few months ago at a conference in Beirut, Lebanon’s industry minister, Hussein Hajj Hassan, confessed that the political class, presumably of which as a Hizbollah MP he is a member, doesn’t really bother itself with economic priorities.

“[We] never had one serious discussion in the cabinet on activating the economy and helping the struggling industry in the country,” he told an audience of industrialists, adding that: “It seems that the political class does not want Lebanon to become an industrial country.”

You think? I will go further and say that, in the 10 years since Syria “withdrew” from Lebanon, almost all economic considerations have been sidelined by the battle for political domination fought between the March 8 and March 14, the alliances that still loosely define the political class. The March 14 alliance was admittedly the most economic-friendly bloc, but it never really walked the talk. And as long as the central bank had a grip on the Lebanese pound, the banking sector made money, the remittances came in and the Arab tourists showed up and spent. All was well.

Industry? Well, Lebanon has no heavy industry to talk of. Most of what passes for the industrial sector is food and beverage production, furniture making, metals, plastics and a bit of pharmaceuticals. There are little or no incentives or tax breaks – hence Mr Hajj Hassan’s candour. He would also no doubt argue that since his appointment he has been unable to do much given the political stalemate in the country for the past two years. So, presumably, all irony aside, he felt it was a claim he could make.

Or could he? I haven’t met Mr Hajj Hassan, but those who know him say he is honest, humble and hard working. He also has a doctorate in molecular biophysical chemistry, so we can also assume he is a bit of a pointy-head.

But he also owes his political career to Hizbollah and this is where I find his bemoaning the state’s indifference to the economic needs of the country and the absence of a thriving industrial sector just a tad bit rich. He can’t have it both ways.

Because if any one party has thumbed its nose at the Lebanese economy it is Hizbollah, for reasons so often catalogued in this column I’m surprised I don’t have a pre-written paragraph that I could just paste on to the page whenever it is needed, which is quite often.

Whatever Hizbollah MPs and ministers might say needs to be done for Lebanon, and like all Lebanese politicians they are very good at trotting out platitudes, the party’s day-to-day activities – fighting its enemies, be they in Israel, Syria or elsewhere – has done little to create a stable environment in which we could consider drafting a road map for prosperity.

Hizbollah is contributing to the sense of uncertainty that is gripping Lebanon. It doesn’t take much to spook the Lebanese, despite the cliche of Beirut being a “resilient city” that “lives for the moment because it doesn’t know what tomorrow will bring”.

No one has claimed responsibility for the bomb at the headquarters of Blom Bank. But even if it wasn’t, as some Lebanese claim, a message from Hizbollah to the banking sector for co-operating with the US and closing Hizbollah bank accounts, the party’s defiance of the new sanctions implies that it will continue to fly in the face of the common good if its agenda is under threat.

All this comes at a time of even greater stagnation in the retail sector just as the crucially important summer season begins. Two years of a presidential vacuum have dented consumer confidence and the threat of ISIL-inspired terror attacks through a series of hysterical SMS and WhatsApp messages has also succeeded in keeping people at home. In short, the normally gregarious Lebanese, a people whose lifeblood is refreshed by going out, are twitchy and many expats who regularly visit around this time are staying put.

I suppose Mr Hajj Hassan knows all this but it’s probably someone else’s fault. It always is.

Michael Karam is a freelance writer who lives between Beirut and Brighton

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

Scoreline

Chelsea 1
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Date of birth: April 18, 1998

Playing position: Winger

Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda

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Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.

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1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The specs

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WORLD CUP FINAL

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Yokohama International Stadium, Tokyo

Saturday, kick-off 1pm (UAE)

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi

  

 

 

 

Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.

 

Profile Periscope Media

Founder: Smeetha Ghosh, one co-founder (anonymous)

Launch year: 2020

Employees: four – plans to add another 10 by July 2021

Financing stage: $250,000 bootstrap funding, approaching VC firms this year

Investors: Co-founders

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New Zealand T20 squad: Tim Southee (captain), Finn Allen, Todd Astle, Hamish Bennett, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Will Young 

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

Non-oil%20trade
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ABU DHABI T10: DAY TWO

Bangla Tigers v Deccan Gladiators (3.30pm)

Delhi Bulls v Karnataka Tuskers (5.45pm)

Northern Warriors v Qalandars (8.00pm)