Electricity.
The scale by which one can judge the state of this country.
I have heard several people say, when we have electricity for almost 24/24 in Lebanon, that’s when we will know that there is hope for this country.
Lest you harbour any illusions about the competence of this Government (and past governments), here are some statistics, which will open your eyes to the truth:
- In 2004, the Ministry of Energy and Water received 1.1% of the total government expenditure, only 1.5 times more than the amount allocated to the “national lottery” (0.7%).
- This number dropped to 0.5% of the expenditure in 2005, whereas the “national lottery” received a whopping 0.7% of the expenditure.
- It must be noted that in 2005 the Electricité du Liban (EDL) received a loan from the Ministry of Finance, which amounted to 9% of the total government expenditure for the year.
- In 2003, the total electricity production in Lebanon was 10.55 TWh (Terawatt-hours).
- In the 3-R document “Recovery, Reconstruction, and Reform” prepared especially for the occasion of Paris-III, the government complains that it allocated some $650 million to the EDL. $650 million for heaven’s sake.
- The power has been off since midnight (it’s 8:25 pm now).
- We had more power during the summer war than we do now, despite the months-long siege and the bombing of the Jiyye fuel storage facilities.
Also see: Part I, Part II
