Bassil says decentralization and trust fund demand not a 'bargain or deal'
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil said overnight that his call for broad administrative and financial decentralization and for establishing a trust fund is not part of any “bargain or deal.”
“The equation of decentralization at the regional and local level and the trust fund at the national level is an equation for rescuing Lebanon at the financial, economic and social levels, regardless of any constitutional juncture,” Bassil said at a dinner for FPM expats.
“It is a vision for the future, not a bargain or deal, and its implementation might cost us political prices, the same as with the previous approval of the electoral law, the law on regaining citizenship and the expat voting law,” Bassil added.
Bassil had said Saturday that he is "willing to sacrifice" regarding the next president's identity, clarifying that he will not "sacrifice the presidential post or powers." He said that the "sacrifice" would be in return for "two gains for Lebanon: broad administrative and financial decentralization and the trust fund."
He explained that the trust fund had been proposed by then-President Michel Aoun in an economic paper after the October 17 uprising.
"It would preserve the state's assets and ownership while they would be managed by the private sector, which would allow for improving the state's revenues, covering some of the financial gap and returning funds to depositors," Bassil clarified.
His remarks confirm media reports about the FPM's ongoing talks with Hezbollah.
"The two sides exchanged proposals for agreeing on the program and identity of the upcoming president,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday.
Bassil submitted a “detailed work paper that involves an agenda for the coming period and addresses two main issues,” the daily said.
Informed sources meanwhile told the newspaper that Bassil’s new paper focuses on two main elements: passing the broad administrative decentralization law in parliament and the law related to the trust fund.
“Bassil requested that the comprehensive agreement be linked to the approval of the two laws and other matters prior to declaring support for a specific candidate,” the daily said.
02 August 2023, 14:50
02
Bassil the most corrupt politician talking about trust fund is laughable. He is nothing but an evil political prostitute that took corruption and nepotism to Guinness World record and degraded Lebanon and Christian reputation to Basij level. He serves as Hizb’s Useful Idiot using its arms to inflate his relevance in addition to myriads of cronies’ appointments. Perfected political mafia. Bassil and his cronies wasted/stole $50 billion on EDL while worshiping darkness & polluting our air. Only $15 billion investment in solar/wind/hydro would have made us relying on renewable energy saving billions, pollution and sickness. Enough assuming people stupid, let us discuss something more serious teaching politicians basic economic principles that recovery and large projects depend on low interest only possible with political stability & sovereignty but impossible with Hizb arms.
02 August 2023, 14:52
02
Economy 101 with ChatGPT assistance. $22 billion from Central Bank reserve wasted since 2019 on non-productive projects, mostly on corruption and Hizb illegal crossings. With politicians confusing million & billion; it is helpful to put this loss in perspective using 5 major infrastructure projects benefiting from Syrian labor residing in camps:
1. Tunnels between coast and Bekaa also serving ports.
2. Monorail from Tripoli to Tyr
3. Renewable energy
4. New international airport
4. Upgrade Beirut/Tripoli/Saida ports; automation & AI
5. Artificial islands/cruise ports/wind turbine
Today, I’ll only address items 1 & 2. Tunnels & Monorail will significantly reduce congestion, revolutionize mobility for people, tourists, freight & agriculture, carry fiber optic for new min-Silicon Valleys liberating innovation & making any tech hub a remote office and extension to any multinational tech firm.
02 August 2023, 14:55
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1. TUNNELS: ChatGPT info on Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM).
TBM Cost $10M to $100M (Boring Diameter 5 to 15m)
TBM Operation (fuel, concrete slabs, maintenance, etc): $5M/month
Daily boring speed 20 to 100m depend on soil
Workers 2,000 labors & 150 professionals
Assuming 12m-Diam TBM at $50M, $60M Oper/yr, 40m dig in rock per day; a tunnel from Antelias to Zahle/Chtoura (<25 km) needs 2 yrs. If 2,000 laborers @ $5/hr, 8 hrs/day ($880/month); 150 professionals at $25/hr ($4,330/mo); then tunnel total cost over 2 yrs & 20% contingency is $273 M. Future tunnels cheaper as TBM purchased & labor trained. Only $1 billion for 3 to 4 tunnels linking coast to Bekaa. Syrian laborers will earn enough to support family, live in dignity & register as in Gulf nations. Tunnels carry fiber optics for gigaWifi in new tech hubs in Bekaa/Akkar. Excavation used for artificial islands. Trucks can travel in 20min from Beirut to Bekaa via flat tunnel saving fuel & pollution.
02 August 2023, 14:55
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2. MONORAIL:
Most recent cost info in a comparable region is Monorail being constructed by Bombardier/Orascom in Egypt. Two lines (100 KM) for $3 billion serving both sides of the Nile with 30 stations some in dense urban areas requiring land acquisition & people displacement. Half the cost is for elevated guideway & other half for trains/system (70 four-car driverless trains). Capacity is 45,000 daily trips. 30-year contract to build, maintain & operate. Considering Lebanon density requiring fewer trains, construction on side of road with little need for land condemnation (or over reclaimed sea from tunnel fill), available Syrian workforce & local cement it can be reasonably assume a modern monorail from Tripoli to Tyr can be constructed in around $3 billion. A small cost compared to benefits of linking major cities, improving mobility, reducing congestion and pollution, saving gas and attracting tourists. Good candidate for EU/US grants & low-interest loans from World Bank.
02 August 2023, 16:37
00
waww gebrans-son, you've got it all worked out, well impressed
