Muna Al-Fuzai

Muna Al-Fuzai



When I was a
little girl, they taught me that my country Kuwait and Lebanon are similar in
many ways, especially when my family and I used to spend our summer vacations
there, until the long and bloody civil war appeared and took away many
beautiful things with it. Lebanon has been subject to injustice and difficult
conditions for many years, yet it managed to unite and defy the circumstances.
But, new protests swept Lebanon last weekend.

Thousands of
Lebanese people demonstrated in a number of cities against taxes the government
announced it would impose next year. Demonstrators gathered in downtown Beirut
demanding the downfall of the government. The protests focused on criticism of
the government's management of the economy and the way it seeks to increase
national income in the 2020 budget. Protesters burned tires and blocked roads
around the country, and security forces used tear gas to disperse them.

On Friday
evening, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri gave his cabinet partners 72
hours to come up with a way out of the economic crisis in Lebanon. So, after
long hours of angry protests, there was a cautious calm and anticipation
waiting for what would be the appropriate solution from the government to fix
the situation.

It has been said
that the government's pursuit of new taxes was not the only reason that fueled
public anger, but the cost of living also had provoked the anger of the public.
After two days of tension, life has returned to normal on most roads in
downtown Beirut.

Now, I think that
the problem is not with the occurrence of demonstrations, but the dilemma here
is that the confidence of the Arab citizen in the government's performance is
often nonexistent or low, which is not surprising because citizens judge things
by what they see and deal with on a daily bases. For example, when there is an
increase in prices of goods, it is usually not felt by high-income people or
government officials, but the first victim is the citizen and expatriate
because they bear the burden of increasing prices. So it is natural that the
Lebanese people would demand their government to intervene and find a solution.

Kuwaiti-Lebanese
relations are not just official ties between friendly countries, but are old,
historical ones. Many Kuwaitis have real estate in Lebanon and consider Lebanon
their second home. Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development is active in
supporting the Lebanese economy and its development projects. This reflects the
depth of relationship between the two countries. 

Lebanon today is
in a state of calm and anticipation of a government response that satisfies the
public, because I believe that the continuation of demonstrations will not be
in favor of any group. The Embassy of the State of Kuwait in Lebanon called on
citizens who are intending to go to Lebanon to wait because of the
demonstrations there, calling on those who are there to be careful and stay
away from the gathering areas and of course. This warning is normal under the current
circumstances. I believe that everyone is hoping for a good end.

By Muna Al-Fuzai

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