Jumblat, Aoun Bicker over Telecom and Energy Portfolios

Minister Sehnaoui has at least been making progress on the telecom sector, but Bassil has been a miserable failure at his job. Time to find ANYONE else to head that ministry.

Jun blat said to aoun, saudis offerd me $$$, give me an offer $$$$

I loved & admired politicians with high morals, patriotism & flair 4 $$$

I only trust FPM to handle the energy portfolio. Anyone else, especially Haririan, Joumblatti, or Berri, will steal everything and turn Lebanon into a cess pit.

can we please...please...throw these clownish old men in jail. back to prison.

M8 proved themselves incompetent and corrupt government...we had more kidnappings, bad security, workers strikes, expired meat, expired medicines, internal fighting between Berri and Aoun, Aoun and Jumblat, Aoun and everyone except his boss Hassoun...what a mess...

FYI- whiskey doesn't age after it's bottled ;)

You are exactly correct about Jumblat ... He wants the two "plum" sectors to be handled by his cronies. Telecoms and Energy are the two portfolios that haven't been looted.

Furthermore he wants bankster Adel Kassar as Prime Minister to make sure that the banks are rescued instead of the government and people in a crisis. Kassar will implement austerity on the people and rescue the banks.

Before you Aounaphiles jump too hard on Jumblatt, don't forget, it was because he jumped from M14 to M8 that Aoun got his 10 portfolios in the most dysfunctional government that Lebanon has ever seen.
While M14 can stand criticism for its governments, let us not forget that much of the time M8 Speaker Berri refused to call Parliament into session, there was a boycott and camping of M8 in the streets of Beirut and that gem of democracy and pillar of M8 Hezbollah seized West Beirut by force of arms when the M14 government tried to name the security chief at the airport that Nasrallah did not approve and when M14 tried to close the illigitimate telecom system that Hezbollah built with Iranian money.

So the dysfunction in the Lebanese government has many authors, M14 and M8 alike, but mostly it was M8 disruption of the M14 government and then M8 ineptitude and corruption once it seized power in January 2011.
And let us not forget that the Lebanese government, unlike any government in the world, has to compete with the parallel governing structure of Hezbollah under its roof. Hezbollah controls Lebanese territory where ISF cannot go; it controls a telecom system which does not pay fees to the government; it protects a constituency that takes from the gov't and private sector, but does not pay; it has an army; a foreign policy; it makes war on Lebanon's neighbors without the consent or consultation with the "government". What legitimate government can function under such occupation and usurpation of governmental functions?

so ,in lebanese politics, this is called "marchandage", definitely aoun will not get the two minstries but only one ,and for sure it will be for bassil.....but will the "marchandage include the prime minister's name???????/

But, the Lebanese have only themselves to blame for this state of affairs. This rogues gallary of political figures. You keep electing them over and over again. It is no wonder that they feel a sense of entitlement to take as much as they can for redistribution to their political sheep who follow in their steps so as not to lose the chance to pick up any scraps that the Bassil may drop.
Of course, when they feel like the people may by regular elections throw them all out on the street, they get together, create a policital crisis and then use that "crisis" to justify putting off elections until they can steal some more money, redistribute more and then hold the election when they feel more secure.
When the Lebanese people stop seeking stolen goods from the ministries, then they will stop electing a class of thieves to office.

Lebanon is just following the trend of the region. How does the Royal family in Saudi Arabia retain power, they pay high subsidies to Saudi citizens. One by-product of the Arab Spring is permanently higher oil prices charged by the Saudis so as to fund the higher subsidies and to calm the people from ousting them from power.
In Iran, how do the Clerics hold the Islamic Repubic if not by very generous oil subsidies given to the people so that they pay the equivalent of $.18/gal while the rest of the world pays $4.00-$5.00/gallon.

One is as bad as the other. The velvet glove of subsidies is filled with the iron fist of the Wahabi or the Iranian Revolutionary Guards who act with no mercy on those who would object.
Syria has operated this way passing through subsidies from Iran to the people with the Shahiba in the back ground to crack heads. That whole system is being challenged in Syria.

And now Lebanon has Hezbollah with its subsidies to its people, but with a standing army to enforce its writ. Others who try to compete, Aoun, Hariri, Jumblatt or the Gemayels, Frangieh or Geagea, have no money other than what can be siphoned from teh government ministries or bartered for from either Iran or Saudi Arabia. The price that is paid, of course, is the selling of bits and pieces of Lebanese sovereignty. Iran now owns quite a bit. So please, as M8 and M14 joust here, it is the whole system that is sick and needs to be replaced by a 21st Century model, not the 7th Century model that we have been saddled with.

He also hinted that Bassam Yemmin, who is loyal to the Marada Movement, should be appointed as telecom minister.

Ft but why should those two portfolios be the monopoly of FPM.

Agreed and the Lebanese people see that. I see aoun as the biggest loser here and he is franticly trying to save face. I highly doubt he will have nearly as many ministers this time around but we shall wait and see. After all, this is Lebanon we are speaking of. Nothing surprises me anymore.

when have Lebanese ever voted different? They do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. Clearly they are insane. are they not?

i like the fact that although some hate jumblat some likes him ..like it or not he still the most influential leader not only on the druze but on every lebanese,. ..the guy is cool a real ..what a heavy "teel el dam" him and his bassil guy what a buch of coons..politician who knows how to play this fag.. oun