Underneath a veneer of glitter ... is the lack of basic human needs
Beirut's glittering downtown belies poverty in suburbs
BEIRUT, 21 March (IRIN) - Beirut's impressive downtown district reflects much of the wealth and development that Lebanon has enjoyed since the end of the civil war in 1990. But a few minutes' drive to the capital's southern and northern fringes reveals a vastly different reality, featuring extreme poverty and underdevelopment.
Residents and NGOs working to alleviate poverty put much of the blame for the shabby condition of the suburbs on government inaction. "We're second class citizens," said Youssef Hassan, a 48 year-old resident of the southern suburb of Hay al-Selom. "Officials forget we exist below the poverty line."
Those earning less than Lebanon's monthly minimum wage – 300,000 Lebanese pounds (roughly US $200) – are generally considered to be living under the poverty line, according to Sawsan Masri, project manager at the Ministry of Social Affairs.
"We have no electricity or paved roads, no health insurance and none of the essential services that a government should provide its people," said Hassan who works as a taxi driver to provide for seven dependants. He and his family have been living in a two-room apartment in Hay al-Selom since they were forced out of the southern village of Arabsalim by the Israeli occupation 15 years ago.
... continue here ...
In the meantime, people will continue to discuss ... "isms" and other "big ideas" ... because let's face it, discussing wonderful ideals, and battling for a utopian future, is much more productive than attempting to solidify the human needs discussed in the above article ...
posted by Lazarus, 3:29 PM
4 Comments:
Laz
Social justice, equitable distribution of income and human dignity are alien concepts for most of the Lebanese.
The Lebanon that many will be satisfied with is a Lebanon that was built on such inequalities and actually exploitation of the poor for the benefit of the oligarchs. Lebanon of the 60's and early 70's was based on a semi feudal class of oligarchs. Unfortunately the period of the civil war and the Syrian tutelage that followed added a layer of corruption and kickbacksthat has plunged the country into the economic and social mess it finds itself in today. Massive national debt, governmental budgetary deficits as far as the eye can see, double digit unenemploymentcoupled with no economic growth even in nominal terms.
Studies have shown that if economic development is to have a chance and if the chasm that separates the haves from the have nots then as a minimum government must be transparent and denocratic. All our problems are, as expected, interconnected. But what is not clear to many is that freedom, liberty and democracy form the foundations of a viable socio-political and economic system. Unfortunately the objective evaluation of the data leads to only one conclusion.Business as usual is not an option.We are literally speaking digging a hole for ourselves and that hole might just collapse on us.
Letr me add at this juncture that the policies that were followed and encouraged by Harriri were misguided and have added to the severity of the social and economic divide in the country.
By
Anonymous, at 6:08 PM
well ghassan, i agree with you. the question is, where do we go from here?
By
Lazarus, at 7:36 PM
Since your remark might have been a rhetorical question I will be very brief:
Get away from the Syrian model
Introduce as much democracy as possible
Down size govenment (most of the regulations are uncalled for )
Invest in human capital
Introduce a progressive income tax
Above all curtail government spending in trophy projects that only the rich can use.
By
Anonymous, at 8:30 PM
no ghassan, it wasn't rhetorical, but it was misphrased :). it should have been "how do we go about accomplishing" what you listed above? (practically speaking, with regards to Lebanon as it is now).
interesting summary, btw.
By
Lazarus, at 8:37 PM
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