The head of the Lebanese Orthodox Council, Robert Al-Abyad, congratulated Eid Al-Adha, hoping “the country will get out of the miserable situation.”
He criticized the policy of the successive authorities since 1992 and said: “We have never felt that we have an actual strong government, whose primary concern is the affairs of the state and the lives of its citizens, for all these years and things are going backwards because of their poor performance in public institutions and the widening rift and conflict between the ruling people, so they were protectors of the corrupt and participants in theft. The state and its institutions, and the Banque du Liban and its partners from the Association of Banks became controlling the national currency.
He asked the officials: “What is your priority? Forming a government or electing a president? If the government is formed, it will not have any ability to restore the situation to normal because of your political and financial divisions, the last of which is the dispute over oil and gas in our sea. You sell, buy and negotiate as you wish, of course with the distribution of shares. Knowing that the people have the right to the public right, and they are the ones who authorized you to rule with justice, not by distributing quotas to you. Where is the recovery plan that you spoke regarding? You cannot implement any of the promises of reforms. You won’t get any support.”
He asked: “How many governments have passed through the country and how many presidents of the republic came to the presidency and nothing changed. On the contrary, matters worsened and the division and rift between the people expanded because of their affiliation to parties and currents? Where is the dignity of the people and national unity?”
“The situation is very dangerous, and we no longer have the luxury of time to think and procrastinate,” he warned. And he called for “the election of an effective and strong President of the Republic, with a clear political and economic vision, open to all, to rule with truth and equality.” He stressed, “Stand behind the military institution because it represents all the people and is the real and strong shield for the homeland.”
