| News | Beirut, Lebanon, May 14, 2008 |
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News Stories by Category Bribery is Abundant The Lebanese have lost their faith in the integrity of most public officials, high and low level. No story of bribery comes to them as a surprise. Corruption is widespread Corruption stories do not surprise anyone any more. Newspapers often publish stories without naming names. The worst part is the trade of corruption accusations between members of the government. At stake are vital public interests and large amounts of money from public funds. Democracy The Lebanese system of government lacks the basic foundations and characteristics of democracy with the absence of the rule of law and fair democratic representation. Sectarianism It is not only unconstitutional, but it also violates the basic civil and human rights of the Lebanese. Solidere, is it a private company or the government of Lebanon? Solidere was incorporated in 1994 as a privately owned company listed on the stock exchange with vast powers over the old town of Beirut, commonly known as the Beirut Central Commercial Destrict "BCCD." This company is controlled by Prime Minister Hariri and managed by persons hand picked by him. It is widely believed that the law providing for the incorporation of real estate development companies such as Solidere is blatantly unconstitutional, and that Solidere does not behave like a private company but excercises power that properly belongss tot he government leading to a wide range of excesses. The first of these excesses was the confiscation of property belonging to tens of thousands of Beiruti families. Sovereignty Lebanon continues to be the victim of open intervention by several foreign governments. Decisions and policies declared by the official Lebanese government are often dictated from abroad. Sovereignty is in doubt. The Ecology The mountains of Lebanon look less and less green as the scavengers continue to plague nature anabated. The waters are polluted. The Economy The economy suffers from the consequences of bad governance including manifestly bad monetary and public financial policis, No national accounts are maintained for the GDP and statistics are scarce and often rigged to suit the objectives of the authorities. The Judiciary and the Role of Special Courts The Lebanese justice system is short circuited by a multitude of special courts outside the hierarchy of regular courts. There is the Justice Council, a criminal court of high justices which makes final judgements that cannot be appealed. There is the millitary tribunal, where regular offices with no legal training try civillianss and excercise a very wide jurisdiction. And there are the religious courts of the various communities who apply their own laws with no accounting to civil authorities. Who Controls the Lebanese Media? The identity of the real owners and controlling interests in most Lebanese media is not clear to the public.
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