The caretaker government of Lebanon recently announced that the start of daylight savings time has been postponed until April 20-21, 2023 instead of the usual date on the night of March 25-26 this year. This sudden decision has caused confusion and frustration among people, particularly those who have booked flights and made plans according to the usual daylight saving time. While some people support the decision, others have expressed their opposition and some have even gone to the extent of inciting sectarianism.
The Lebanese Ministry of Communications and the two cellular companies, Alfa and Touch, are said to automatically program devices and phones to reflect the correct time, so the Lebanese state’s time will not be an hour late. Daylight saving time is a tradition adopted by developed industrial countries to conserve energy consumption and benefit from daylight to increase productivity.
The decision to postpone has evoked different reactions on social media, with some labeling it as another manifestation of the government’s tendency to delay important national issues. Others criticized the decision, stating that officials should focus on improving salaries and reducing prices to ease the burden of citizens.
While some countries see the tangible benefits of daylight saving time, especially in conserving energy, in Lebanon where many factories are already shut down due to the ongoing crisis, the effect is negligible. MEA–Lebanese Airlines has updated the departure times for flights departing from Rafic Hariri International Airport to match the revised daylight saving time.
Lebanon: Postponing daylight savings time fuels lineups
As soon as the caretaker government in Lebanon announced the exceptional postponement of the start date of daylight savings time this year until midnight on April 20-21, 2023, following it was expected on the night of March 25-26 this year, social media was buzzing with opinions of support and opposition that reached an extent Sectarian incitement sometimes, given the coincidence of the decision with the month of Ramadan, which began the day before yesterday, Wednesday.
Aside from the controversy on social media, the sudden decision caused confusion, especially among those concerned with sectors directly related to UTC, among airlines, and among travelers who had previously booked their tickets according to the usual daylight saving time. Others also did not hide their loss and confusion regarding the extent to which their smartphones and computers “adapt” to the new time.
In this context, circulating information indicated that the Lebanese Ministry of Communications and the two cellular companies (Alfa and Touch) will automatically program devices and phones, and therefore the time of the Lebanese state will not be an hour late. Daylight saving time, which usually requires the clock to be advanced by one hour, starting from Saturday midnight – the last Sunday of March of each year in Lebanon, is a tradition adopted by developed industrial countries with the aim of saving energy consumption, benefiting from daylight and increasing productivity.
The former director general of the Ministry of Energy and Water in Lebanon, Bassam Jaber, explained to The New Arab that “the importance of summer time lies in increasing productivity and saving energy, as the individual wakes up early with sunrise and goes to sleep one hour earlier than usual, while sunset is delayed.” until seven or eight o’clock in the evening, thus saving electricity and lighting and raising productivity.”
Regarding the decision to postpone the adoption of this timing, Jaber says, “The issue of advancing the timing is annoying at first, because we have to wake up an hour earlier than usual. Therefore, the decision today comes to give those who are fasting more comfort, as it gives them an extra hour of sleep in the morning, and allows them to rest following suhoor.” And it benefits them in the evening when they break their fast, thus they do not feel the length of the day for a whole month, knowing that the hours of fasting will remain the same.”
The decision to postpone was not spared by the tweets of some politicians on Twitter, as some saw it as “the last of the system’s wonders, and it expresses the policy of procrastination and postponement of many national benefits.” .
Activists on social media also denounced “being distracted by arbitrary decisions, instead of officials taking the initiative to improve salaries, reduce prices, and feel the pain of citizens who are unable to prepare a decent iftar table, following most of the people are suffering under the burden of humiliation, poverty and misfortune, without any horizon and solutions to the crisis spreading in the country.”
In conjunction with the ongoing controversy, a video recording spread showing Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati discussing the issue of postponing daylight savings time until the end of Ramadan, with “disdain.” Dissatisfied reactions to the way “running the country” poured in. One of them tweeted: “For the eyes of Abu Mustafa (Nabih Berri) and the dignity of the professor, we adjust everything, bearing in mind that the official working hours in Ramadan start at nine o’clock in the morning, not eight.” As for others, they started publishing what the artist Ziad Rahbani said, who mocked several years ago the issue of advancing and delaying the clock in Lebanon, on the basis of “What is behind us, and what affects us with time ?!”.
For her part, Sorina Mourtada, a consultant at the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation, indicated that “some countries, especially the Scandinavian countries, adopt daylight saving time because of its contribution to saving energy consumption and allowing it to benefit from the length of the day, while we find other countries that do not adopt it.” In the case of Lebanon, Many factories are already suspended as a result of the crisis, so there is unfortunately no productivity or energy consumption.” She revealed that “the effect of daylight saving time is tangible in industrialized countries, as some European countries allocate a lower electricity tariff for industrialists in the event that they resort to operating their factories when the demand for electricity is lower, that is, during the early morning period.
In a related context, Middle East Airlines – Lebanese Airlines announced, in a statement, that the departure times for flights from Rafic Hariri International Airport – Beirut have been modified for the period extending from Sunday, March 26, until Thursday, April 20, inclusive, in accordance with With the new government decision. It published a table showing the previous departure time and the revised one, noting that “the departure times for flights from foreign airports to Beirut airport will remain the same without any modification, according to the local time in the country of departure.”
The decision to postpone the start of daylight saving time in Lebanon has caused uproar and confusion, with some supporting the move and others opposing it. The controversy on social media has even included sectarian incitement, highlighting the sensitive nature of the decision coinciding with the holy month of Ramadan. While supporters argue that the extra hour of sleep in the morning benefits those who are fasting, critics question the government’s priorities and its ability to address the more pressing issues facing the country. Regardless of the debate, the decision has already caused inconvenience for airlines, travelers and sectors related to UTC. Only time will tell what the long-term effects of this postponement will be for the country.
