A QUESTION ADDRESSED TO THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE Re THE NEW RECRUITS

Your Excellency,

We have read in the press lately that you plan to recruit in the near future four hundred and fifty agricultural engineers and technicians to fill up the vacancies in your Ministry.

We were already aware of the acute shortage in qualified personnel at the Ministry of Agriculture and we sincerely commend you for taking that initiative.

At the same time, could you please explain to us a few things about this projected move?

• What exact functions will these new recruits perform?
• Is there a detailed Agricultural National Plan that indicates exactly what the Ministry of Agriculture intends to achieve during the next five year and what role will these new four hundred and fifty experts play in the implementation of that Plan?
• Four hundred and fifty new recruits may cost the State up to four and a half million dollars in salary and benefits. Is that amount included in the 2011 Budget?

These are the questions for which we need answers, your Excellency. I believe that we are entitled to them, considering that we, the citizens, are going to pay for the 4.5 million dollars.

But more importantly, we are entitled to read about the entire Agricultural Plan that you have prepared and learn how this important sector of our economy will be managed from 2010 to 2015.

The citizens of this country look forward to receive your answers, your Excellency

LES DEPENSES DES 4 DERNIERES ANNEES SONT A 100% LEGITIMES

Yes, Your Excellency,

The Budget expenditure of the past four years may have been 100% legitimate. We do not wish to query that point. Our concern is with the huge sums advanced (off budget?) to EDL. These sums  amounted at times at more than 16% of the entire budget expenditure of the State.

You are certainly aware, Your Excellency, that the last audited accounts of EDL date back to 2001. The international auditors who examined those accounts severely critized them in many respects.Since 2001 no accounts, to our knowledge, have been audited. Is'nt that strange?

So, how can we maintain that the budget expenditure of the past four years is 100% legitimate ?
Respectfully yours,
George Sabat (ACMI)

ONE QUESTION, YOUR EXCELLENCY! Addressed to the Minister of Energy, the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Environment

Your Excellency, Mr. Gebran Bassil, Minister of Energy and Hydraulic Resources

We still await your answer to our question regarding the accounts of the Electricite du Liban that have not been audited, at least as far as we know, since 2002.
What good it serves to make plans for the future to resolve the crucial problem of the Energy in our country if billions of dollars of losses during the past eight years are still without formal justification?
How can you ask, Your Excellency, the Lebanese citizens to approve any future plans if you do not provide them with some formal and audited explanations of the past?

Your Excellency, Mr. Al Hajj Hassan, Minister of Agriculture

We still await your answer to our question about the reason why the Agricultural Five Year Plan of 2005 was summarily dismissed and shelved.
Do you intend to produce another Plan? When can we expect to see it?

Your Excellency,

A SUGGESTION YOUR EXCELLENCY, THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION

LE PLAN NATIONAL D'EDUCATION ET

LA CONTRIBUTION DE LA SOCIETE CIVILE

A L'EXECUTION DE CE PLAN

Nous proposons au Ministere de l'Education d'appliquer le programme suivant afin de faire le meilleur usage possible de la contribution de la Societe Civile a l'execution du Plan d'Education Quinquenal (2010-2015)

1. Un Plan National de l'Education a été préparé par le Ministre Hassan Mneimneh.
2. Ce Plan doit être imprime et distribue à tous ceux qui le demanderaient.

3. Ce Plan doit faire l'objet d'une étude approfondie par toutes les ONG qui s'occupent des besoins de l'enfant.

4. Chaque ONG devrait choisir un sujet du Plan qu'elle se juge capable de prendre en charge.

5. Un Forum éducationnel devrait réunir toutes ces ONG.

6. L'assemblée des ONGs décidera des sujets à attribuer à chacune d'elles.

7. Les ONGs devront présenter dans un délai d'un mois un plan de travail et un programme calendrier al'Assemblée pour approbation.

8. Chaque ONG serait tenue de présenter un rapport chaque fin de mois (un rapport standard devrait être préparé par le Ministère) indiquant la part du travail qu'elle a accompli durant le mois.

9. Ces rapports devraient être réunis au Ministère de l'Education et un résumé établi le 15 du mois suivant et distribue a toutes les ONG.

10. Les ONG sont tenues d'apporter leur propre financement à ce projet. Le Ministère pourrait éventuellement traiter avec les bailleurs de fonds pour les encourager à financer les ONG, surtout celles qui auraient réalisé le plus de progrès dans la réalisation du Plan.

ENGLISH TEXT

1. A National Five Year Educational Plan has been prepared by Education Minister Dr. Hassan Mneimneh. This Plan has been approved by the Council of Ministers.

2. That Plan must be printed and distributed to the citizens who require it.

3. That Plan must be thoroughly studied by all the NGOs who cater to the needs of youth in Lebanon.

4. Each NGO will chose, among the different problems exposed in the Educational Plan, the one that it feels most competent to deal with. The NGO will then formally apply to the Ministry of Education to participate in the National Education Plan project.

5. An Educational Forum will then be set up to which all the NGOs will be invited.

6. The Assembly of NGOs will then decide to distribute the different subjects of the Plan among the NGOs.

7. The NGOs will be required to present within thirty days a work plan and a time schedule to the Forum Assembly for approval.

8. Each NGO will be required to fill up at the end of every month a standard report of achievement for the work executed during the month (a standard report form prepared by the Ministry of Education will be provided to the participants).

9. These reports will be collected by the Ministry and a summary will be drawn up and published within fifteen days and distributed to all the NGOs.

10. The NGOs will provide their own financial resources for the project. However the Ministry may decide to encourage the fund providers to assist the NGOs whose intervention contributes effectively to the success of the project.

A proposal Mr. Minister

LE PLAN NATIONAL D’EDUCATION

LA CONTRIBUTION DE LA SOCIETE CIVILE

A L’EXECUTION DE CE PLAN

Nous proposons ci-dessous un programme de participation de la Societe Civile a l'execution du Plan National quinquenal d'Education:

1. Un Plan National quinquenal de l’Education a été préparé par le Ministre Hassan Mneimneh.


2. Ce Plan doit être imprime et distribue à tous ceux qui le demanderaient.

3. Ce Plan doit faire l’objet d’une étude approfondie par toutes les ONG qui s’occupent des besoins de l’enfant.

4. Chaque ONG devrait choisir un sujet du Plan qu’elle se juge capable de prendre en charge.

5. Un Forum éducationnel devrait réunir toutes ces ONG.

6. L’assemblée des NGOs décidera des sujets à attribuer à chacune d’elles.

7. Les NGOs devront présenter dans un délai d’un mois un plan de travail et un programme calendrier a l’Assemblée pour approbation.

8. Chaque ONG serait tenue de présenter un rapport chaque fin de mois (un rapport standard devrait être préparé par le Ministère) indiquant la part du travail qu’elle a accompli durant le mois.

9. Ces rapports devraient être réunis au Ministère de l’Education et un résumé établi le 15 du mois suivant et distribue a toutes les ONG.

10. Les ONG sont tenues d’apporter leur propre financement à ce projet. Le Ministère pourrait éventuellement traiter avec les bailleurs de fonds pour les encourager à financer les ONG, surtout celles qui auraient réalisé le plus de progrès dans la réalisation du Plan.

UN GRAND REMERCIEMENT A SON EXCELLENCE LE MINISTRE DE L'EDUCATION

Votre Excellence,

C'est avec un profond sentiment de gratitude et d'espoir dans le futur de notre cher Liban que nous avons lu dans la revue hebdomadaire du Ministere de l'Education que vous aviez reuni les membres de la Direction du Ministere pour leur annoncer l ' accord du Conseil des Ministres pour le Plan Quinquenal de l'Education 2010-2015.

Au nom du CPI (Le Centre Libanais pour l'information publique), veuillez me permettre de vous feliciter pour cette realisation qui, nous l'esperons, donnera l'exemple a suivre aux autres ministeres.

Depuis 2005 nous ne faisons que demander sans nous lasser que le gouvernement se decide a planifier son action pour le developement de l'economie Nationale, le renforcement des interventions sociales dans les domaines educatifs, de la sante et de l'assistance sociale, ainsi que la prise en charge des problemes concernant l'infrastructure du pays (eau, electricite, transports, environnement etc.).

Esperons que l'initiative que vous avez prise fasse tache d'huile et encourage les autres Ministres a vous suivre dans cette voie.

De nouveau, sinceres felicitations, votre Excellence et VIVE LE LIBAN!

One Question, Your Excellency - Ministry of Environment

4/25/2010

One Question, your Excellency!

Dear readers and partners in our faith in Lebanon,

The Lebanese Center for public information, faithful to its commitment to work incessantly to narrow the gap between the citizens and their "Dawle", has decided to start today a new mode of dialogue between the taxpayers and the Authorities.

This dialogue will take the form of some candid and direct questions that we shall address, at least once a day, to one of our thirty ministers and to the parliamentary commissions concerned on the subjects that most interest and sometimes puzzle the citizens.

We earnestly ask our ministers to answer these questions or have them answered directly on that blog or to the following email address: George@cpi-lebanon.org

We hope that this new initiative will serve in some small way to break down the barriers of incomprehension and suspicion that currently separate the taxpaying citizens from the tax collecting Authorities.

QUESTION NO.4 ADDRESSED TO HIS EXCELLENCY MR. MOHAMMED RAHAL, MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT

Your Excellency,

We publish below some extracts from the table of contents of the 2001 Lebanon State of the Environment Report (LEDO), prepared by the Ministry of Environment and the Lebanese Environment and Development Observatory for the general public. The Table of contents included seven pages and covered the following subjects related to environment:

A. POPULATION AND ECONOMIC SECTORS
1. Population
2. Agriculture
3. Industry
4. Construction
5. Transport
6. Tourism and recreation
7. Energy

B. STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA
8. Water
9. Air
10. Biodiversity and natural heritage
11. Soils and Land

C. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
12. Legal and institutional framework
13. Land Management
14. Solid waste Management
15. Wastewater management

Your Excellency,

From that extensive coverage one can easily evaluate the extent and the depth of your responsibilities. Your Ministry is concerned with practically every aspect of the activities of our Public Administration. In fact, your Excellency, your Ministry should be regarded as one of the most important government ministries.

I am sure that you must be very busy and I would not like to waste any of your time. Allow me though to ask one single question:

“WHY THE CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY HAVE NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE MEASURES THAT THE GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO TAKE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF THE EVERGROWING 500 TONS OF MUNICIPAL WASTE DUMP IN SAIDA?

CONSIDERING THE NUMEROUS AND COMPLEX ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS AFFECTING LEBANON, THE SAIDA DUMP BEING ONLY ONE ASPECT, WHEN WILL THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT DRAW UP A NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL PLAN FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS?

THE PLAN SHOULD LIST ALL THE INITIATIVES NEEDED TO DEAL WITH THESE PROBLEMS, ONE BY ONE, THEIR ESTIMATED COST, AND THE SCHEDULE AND THE TIME TABLE OF THEIR PROJECTED EXECUTION.”

As I mentioned in my previous addresses to the Ministers of Energy and Hydraulic resources, Agriculture, and Education, this National Plan will serve your Ministry, your eventual successor and the citizens of this country to better monitor its implementation. It will also serve to introduce some continuity in public governance. Finally we hope that it will encourage the foreign donors and the International institutions to actively fund these projects considering Lebanon’s present limited resources.

Respectfully yours,
George Sabat