Bassil: Electricity Draft Law Must Be Approved Otherwise Govt. Would Be a Failure
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Energy Minister Jebran Bassil criticized the failure to approve the electricity draft law, which he said will reflect negatively on the government because of its inability to resolve a matter that is as important as electricity.
He told As Safir newspaper in remarks published on Saturday: “What kind of message are we delivering to our opponents and the people? … I don’t think the country can persist like this.”
“The upcoming cabinet and parliamentary sessions will be decisive in settling this matter,” he stated.
“Let them study the draft law. Either we approve it as it has been prepared or the government will be toppled,” the minister stressed.
“We are making these statements out of our keenness on the government and the success of our allies,” Bassil added.
“We were not only concerned with overthrowing former Premier Saad Hariri, but we want to find solutions to problems that previous governments failed to reach,” he remarked.
Earlier this week, parliament failed to approve an electricity draft law proposed by FPM leader MP Michel Aoun that allows Bassil to receive $1,200,000,000 to implement a project on producing 700 Megawatts of electricity.
The March 14-led opposition says that the draft law gives the minister the freedom to use the amount of money without referring to the cabinet or without any monitoring by the Audit Bureau.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s circles questioned the uproar over the draft law seeing as cabinet agreed to tackle the issue on Thursday, adding that some amendments may be introduced to it to ensure that funding in the project would take place according to the norms, reported the daily Al-Liwaa on Saturday.
According to Al-Liwaa on Friday, Miqati and Bassil quarreled over the draft law and its funding during cabinet’s session on Thursday.
Parliamentary sources told the daily that despite all of Bassil and Aoun’s outrage, it would be impossible to approve their financial demands because that would deepen Lebanon’s debt.
The solution to the electricity file lies in resorting to old methods, adopted by former Premier Fouad Saniora’s government, of deriving funds through loans and donations.
13 August 2011, 10:41
06
What kind of message is it delivering mr. ghannouj bayyo?
that there is still hope that thieves like you can be blocked.
Seriously? You and your sick uncle want to get 1.2 billion $s of unmonitored money to do a project? A- you will steal all of it, or steal a HUGE commission out of it. B- you either do a very weakened project to maximize your profits and/or it will most probably not supply the energy you claim it will.
So please, spare us your pseudo compassionate rhetoric. Assad, then Nassy, and then you're next :)
13 August 2011, 10:56
17
Read the article title: But Governement is a failure ya idiot, so are you!
13 August 2011, 14:30
03
For project this size, there must be an independent committee from both camps that monitor the project and a third party professional firm documenting all expenditure and keeping cost analysis to make sure we are paying fair prices for all equipment and labour. All of this should be available to the public. It has to be set in a way, it could smoothly continue when the minister is replaced
13 August 2011, 14:45
04
SOME PEOPLE LIVE IN THE MOON... DONT'THEY. And this young Bassil son in law of whoever, thinks he could or should be given 1,2 BILLIONS to be spent by him with no questuions asked!!!! Can someone give some Mental Asylums adresses to this sort 0f pseudo politicians. ??? There they might find friends who will agree with them and applaud them as HEROES.... the Heroes of the mads.
13 August 2011, 15:27
04
He proposes a "draft law" its voted down and Thibran's response is to pass it or else he will bring down the government. Now that's how governments work. Instead of adopting reasonable amendments so as to insure that the funds are properly spent, collapse the government if I can't get my way.
In normal times, people like this, who can't even get elected as a municiple dog catcher in his own town would not make it to a ministerial post. But his father in law, Michel Aoun, can make demands and backed by Hezbollah's guns, Aoun's crazy demands result in this inbecile holding this post.
Now I suppose if the "draft law" is not passed exactly as drafted, allowing the Aoun clan to quickly "catch up" financially, Aoun will have Hezbollah take to the streets with their rockets and missiles to make Parliament do as Thibran Bassil demands.
And I like the picture. Did the photogapher ask him to point to the empty spot.
13 August 2011, 15:33
02
Shouldn't there been some kind of "Preliminary Engineering Study / Proposal"
to show what this MORON is proposing ? Or he , and his Greedy, Lunatic Father-In-Law and their RAT Body Hassouna, already know where all this $$Money is going : IN THEIR POCKETS.
13 August 2011, 15:45
02
@Will Rogers-You are absolutely correct - there is nothing upstairs - blow some air into his ear and it will surely come directly out the other side.
And by the way as to your DEMAND that the draft law be approved, I'll refer to a saying my mother used to use - wish in one hand, shit in the other, and see which one gets full first.
13 August 2011, 16:01
04
Now why do you want 1.2 billion dollars for?
Of course, you need to establish your patronage network...build a power plant in Batroun, and employ the locals to work on it.
You and Abu Jebran make me sick....all hypocrites are scum of the earth.
13 August 2011, 16:25
02
Yes Agree this could be failure of the intelligence o the minister.
He had the portfolio for past years and did nothing.....why he just woke up with more ideas momentum and blackmail democracy.....
He does not have electorate region to sell them the idea....so he is in wavelength/
Sad as if he does not have the strange BILL pass....this means a failure of the government they created....
yes let is be as it could show the other side of reality......work with reason and full transparent democracy.
13 August 2011, 17:05
04
my favourite photo of BASIL , pointing to his head and saying I wish i had a BRAIN!!!!
13 August 2011, 17:10
02
bassil please get the m8 Syrian Bootickers to pay for their Electricity First before spending and or stealing any Money
13 August 2011, 18:05
04
GB:"Officer I looked everywhere for it, It was in here then it wasn't, they took it and no one can find it anymore."
13 August 2011, 21:26
01
Nail Hanna,
Deir el salib is a very good place for him! Just read at the wall "Aoun Raje3".
14 August 2011, 00:26
02
Reminds me of an old joke where a little boy is asking his father for money for himself and his brother only a much smaller amount. $1.2 billion? What do you need $500,000,000 for? Isn't $250,000,000 enough? Here is $125,000,000 for you and your brother. This whole scenario with the draft law can only be viewed as humorous. I wonder if he is taking the same drugs as his oncle?
