Head of the Kataeb’s Economic and Social Council Jean Tawile on Tuesday stressed the need for the people to take action and hold the ruling elite accountable in May legislative elections, saying that serious decisions must be taken before heading to the polls.

 

“We are a rich country with different advantages and without the corrupt class we can get out of the crisis in a short time. Let’s take the example of the revival of the private sector amid the economic crisis and the absence of any future destination, and therefore we do not need much. We can start in a faster way, but we must hold the ruling elite accountable, determine responsibilities, and distribute the losses,” Tawile said in an interview with Voice of Lebanon radio station.

 

“The citizens’ deposits evaporated anyway and today’s monetary stability is illusory and will evaporate after the elections, which requires an integrated monetary policy,” he stressed.

 

“The Central Bank uses between 500 to 600 million dollars per month, including 200 million to subsidize medicines and fuel and the remaining amount is used to secure unsustainable monetary stability,” he added.

 

“A criminal inquiry into Lebanon's Central Bank,all state institutions and ministries must be opened and we must find a way to secure the minimum level of stability and we will refuse responsibility evasion at the expense of the Lebanese people,” he pointed out.

 

“Regarding the parallel economy, there are no accurate figures on the size of the parallel economy. In 2015, the International Monetary Fund estimated the size of the economy at 30% without taking into account the war in Syria. After these operations, the salary scale was approved and new taxes were imposed while state revenues did not increase. Therefore, there are two possibilities, either companies have closed their doors or shifted towards a parallel economy, which means that at least half of the economy is parallel, and that the legitimate private sector and good citizens bear the cost,” he emphasized.

 

“The only service that the authority can provide is illegitimacy, so laws must be adopted and everyone must abide by them,” he added.

 

Tawile deemed the statement of Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh al-Shami in which he declared that “the state and the Banque du Liban are bankrupt" as biggest proof that the authority is living in a state of denial.

 

“When the state cannot pay its debts, it means that it has stumbled and a solution must be found. As for al-Shami, he did not say anything new. The state lives in great denial and the political authority is evading its responsibilities.Today, the bet is on the elections,” he concluded.