Talk about "reconciling the numbers" is nonsense and a way for people to avoid taking responsibility for being unprepared. There's no disagreement on numbers but on solutions. What we're witnessing is the result of a flawed process, one you could see coming months ago.
This is why we kept talking about public buy-in, communication, and transparency. These aren't new concepts that have just been discovered today, despite everyone adopting this language now. This Twitter community has been screaming about it since December.
This mess could have been avoided. Going into negotiations with the IMF, for example, without having a unified position is an indication of how flawed the process is and how unprepared and out of their depth the teams are. It has made us a laughing stock. It's a scandal.
There are not enough people on the Govt team with real experience (at an international standard) in public policy and international negotiations. There was little interaction with parliament, BDL, ABL, and the public. They were unprepared and under political pressure.
On the other hand, ABL's plan was not serious. There are 1,000s of bankers in ABL who could've told them that if they had just taken advantage of the talent in Lebanese banks. But they didn't. They followed the same flawed approach.
Here's the story of how American banker JP Morgan locked a group of bankers in his library in 1907, refusing to let them leave until they agreed a financial rescue plan. We have the same talent here. Why aren't ABL, BDL, & the Govt locking them in a room?
npr.org
npr.org
And now the "reconciliation of the numbers" is again being done by the same people, behind closed doors, and we're expected to accept the results as a fait accomplit. WHAT ARE YOU RECONCILING?
The Lebanese are being left in the dark b/c they matter to nobody.
The Lebanese are being left in the dark b/c they matter to nobody.
To say nothing of the lagging workstreams on food security, real power sector reform, sector-wide economic reform and vision, social safety, public sector reform and AUDITS, judicial reform, appointing people to important vacant positions, and the list goes on and on.
We're either serious about mobilizing as a nation to get out of this crisis & building a country, or we're not.
A flawed process, lack of courage, & incompetence is leading us towards a "path of least resistance" kick-the-can solution, at the expense of the Lebanese public.
A flawed process, lack of courage, & incompetence is leading us towards a "path of least resistance" kick-the-can solution, at the expense of the Lebanese public.
This isn't normal. It's going to destroy the country.
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