LESSONS FROM LEBANON

I was watching midday BBC World News on August 4 when the visuals of an explosion were flashed on screen as ‘breaking news’. It was repeated several times with black billowing clouds suddenly engulfed and obliterated by a mushroom shaped huge expanse of white smoke with flames below rising higher. The noise was thunderous. It was the horrendous explosion in Beirut on 3 August.

Then I read the article in the New York Times the next day by Faysal Itani, deputy director at the Center for Global Policy and adjunct professor of Middle East politics at Georgetown University. He is a Lebanese who worked in the country before migrating to the US. In the article he lays out “the incompetence, negligence and sheer bad luck” that allowed this disaster to happen. Reading it, parallels to Sri Lanka were apparent to me. I quote parts of his article below. Within the quotes you will find interpolations in parentheses reminding you of similar situations/incidents in our country. I point out similarities with fear invading me and hope they will be reduced if not obliterated with a powerful government newly installed. Obvious differences exist, of course, which I do not mention.

Similar to Sri Lanka, Lebanon is a developing emerging country with its economy mainly service-based on tourism, and imports outweighing exports. Oil and gas exploration were intensified in 2020. Very importantly a significant similarity exists that both countries have recently emerged from internal strife – our 28-year civil war and Lebanon’s multi-faceted civil strife from 1975 to 1990. This weakened institutions and the rule of law in both countries, compounded by simmering racial and religious tensions. Lebanon’s geopolitical position causes it to face more problems than us.

Consequences of explosion and

other disasters

Itani asks the pertinent question in the title of his article: “Why Did Lebanon Let a Bomb-in-Waiting Sit in a Warehouse for Six Years?” He replies his own question: “Yesterday’s explosion, which destroyed Beirut’s port, much of the city and countless lives, was the result of business as usual. Ports are prime real estate for political, criminal and militia factions. Multiple security agencies with different levels of competence and different political allegiances control various aspects of their operations.” (Parallel 1: so true about SL. Within the last eight years since the Mahinda Rajapaksa Magampura Port or simply – the Hambantota Harbour – was built, immense problems of debt servicing to the Chinese for the massive construction with no ships docking, resulted in leasing it out by the Yahapalanaya government. This was heavily criticized by the Rajapaksa faction. Now- what? Even the need to lease out parts of the Colombo Port are being fiercely protested. Recently a strong protest was mounted by port workers. We have hopes that under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa some sensible arrangements will ensue).

Writes Itani: “By all appearances the port disaster did not involve the usual suspects — Hezbollah, Israel, jihadist terrorism or the government of neighboring Syria. The truth seems to be both duller and more disturbing: decades of rot at every level of Lebanon’s institutions.” (Parallel 2: loss of confidence in our governments and slow destruction of systems such as rule of law. A much lauded attempt of correction of course was attempted with much approval and cheering in 2015 which failed abysmally, mostly due to clash of leading personalities. Corruption at all levels increased through the years. We too suffered jihadist terrorism last year).

“So far, Lebanese officials are in agreement about what happened, though it’s likely that more than one ‘official’ account will emerge. After all, this is Lebanon, a country deeply divided by politics, religion and history. But here is what we know as of now: some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate unloaded from a disabled vessel in 2014 had been stored in a port warehouse. Then yesterday, a welding accident ignited nearby fireworks — which caused the ammonium nitrate to explode” (Parallel 3: Loads of imported garbage lie in the port of Colombo and elsewhere expecting ‘return to sending country’. No action so far! Waiting for a blowup or polluting dispersal in the sea? Also that comment on being deeply divided is so true of our population by politics, race and religion, with power grabbed by the yellow robed and the latest hoisting of the idea of Sinhala Buddhist supremacy).

Further itemization of mismanagement in Lebanon by Itani goes thus: “And recruitment in the civilian bureaucracy is dictated by political or sectarian quotas. There is a pervasive culture of negligence, petty corruption and blame-shifting endemic to the Lebanese bureaucracy, all overseen by a political class defined by its incompetence and contempt for the public good.” (Parallel 4: Our public service is bursting at the seams due to recruitment of persons promoted by politicians. Hardly manageable in salary payments. Corruption, mismanagement, interference by politicians all across Sri Lankan systems, is pandemic. These are huge blots in the nation’s fabric, all too well seen but not remedied. Hope springs in optimistic hearts that the new government will curb its members and they will be made to work hard for the good of the country which is in a dire state due to previous political pests).

“The catastrophe, while exceptionally severe, is the result of business as usual in Lebanon.” (Parallel 5: The suicide bomb blasts of Easter Sunday 2019 by Muslim fanatics seems to be a result of ‘business as usual’ – going easy, taking things trivially, infighting and then passing the buck of blame. In spite of expressed apprehension and reliable warning, the non-cooperation of the then President and PM and thus lack of alertness on the part of others, innocents were killed; though it was preventable. Irresponsibility was starkly evident. President Gotabaya has sought help from the armed forces and given them high posts in the bureaucracy. Vice and terror are being eradicated. We hope it ends in security for all).

Itani also mentions disasters caused by failures in public services and a garbage crisis and environmental catastrophes. (Here is Parallel 6: a severe garbage crisis opened the eyes of Sri Lankans to haphazard dumping of solid waste when a mountain of dumped rubbish descended to cause many deaths in Meetotamulla. The garbage crisis is not solved as yet. Marine pollution goes on apace. It is mentioned that the Cabinet will be small – 26 to 30. That would surely have a single minister in charge of environmental issues and of forests, wild life, nature reserves et al so that both elephants and villagers could be spared death an injury and deforestation stemmed. The much prevalent passing the buck and top bureaucrats not making decisions MUST cease forthwith)

In Lebanon “The consequences of yesterday’s explosion will be even more serious than the immediate casualties and property damage. The main grain silo, which holds 85% of the country’s cereals, was destroyed. Even more, the port will no longer be able to receive goods. Lebanon imports 80% of what it consumes, including 90% of its staple wheat. (Our case is much less dire; we are to an extent self sufficient in rice and many imports are being banned – very good! But we have a fertilizer problem fermenting; agriculture and our farmers are not given due government attention nor are their grievances looked into and alleviation attempted. We hope, as promised, the new government will redress the issues faced by agriculture in this land and farmers helped).

Faysal Itani ends his article querying: “Will there be a revolution? An uprising of anger? … Yet there has never been more urgency for reform and accountability, beyond the likely scapegoating of mid-level officials. It is difficult to imagine such a concerted, sustained national movement because it has never materialized. But hunger and a collapse in health care may change that.  Yesterday’s explosion made clear that Lebanon is no longer a country where decent people can live secure and fulfilling lives.” The protests have already ignited in Lebanon. (Problem 7 with solution: Very relevant. Our country needs severe improvement; a creasing out of corruption and nepotism; a vast reduction in the perception of unlimited power believed in by politicians and Cabinet Ministers that has been exhibited in previous years. We have examples to look back to of the immediate years after independence when politicians acted as they should. Our hope is that the President, who is a disciplined person, will curb Ministers. The Prime Minister needs to be just and controlling too. Government servants must work honestly and there must not be undue influence on them by politicians. We are too tame a population to mass protest or rise up all together in anger. We earnestly hope that a just government will manage the country well and corruption will be wiped out. It can be done, and must be. All officials and politicians must work for the country and its people, not for a Party, family or themselves.