On Friday, activists stormed into the building of the Ministry of Energy and Water in Beirut, to protest the severe electricity cuts and the ever-increasing subscription bills to private generators.
The protesters were faced with the ministry’s employees who tried to kick them out of the building.
A video circulated also showed an activist destroying the image of President Michel Aoun, shouting “The President of the Republic does not represent us!”
The Lebanese Energy Minister, Walid Fayyad, did not show up to listen to the demands of the protesting citizens; a contrast in attitude with the Health Minister Dr. Firas Abiad during a similar event this week at the Health Ministry.
A video of the Energy Minister Fayyad dancing on Thursday night went viral, which caused more anger.
Another video of him circulated during the past week, showing him singing Dalida’s Helwa Ya Baladi while trying to avoid a journalist’s question about the electricity supply.
In the 21st century, the Lebanese people are still struggling to have a minimum of electricity for the essentials of their daily life.
Lebanon’s electricity problems have worsened over the years due to corruption and negligence, leaving people to bear the severe consequences, which have worsened since 2019-2020 with the financial collapse.
People have been enduring even more severe power cuts, with some lasting days.
Those who can afford private generators have been paying double bills. With the economic crisis hitting harder these past months, many are letting go of their subscriptions that have increased in price.
Lebanon had previously secured a deal, backed by the World Bank, to import Egyptian gas and Jordanian electricity that “could increase power supply to up to 10 hours per day,” according to Energy Minister Walid Fayyad.
However, the electricity issue in the country is still the same.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also discussed with Lebanon a bailout program to prevent the electricity issue from causing a further drain on public monetary reserves.
