It seems like Lebanese politicians and their advisers are always looking for new methods to humiliate people. The Lebanese Bakeries Syndicate in North Lebanon has recently issued a warning that it would have to close its doors owing to a scarcity of fuel oil.
The Head of the Lebanese Bakeries Syndicate, Tarek El-Mir, told Sawt Beirut International’s reporter, Ibrahim Fatfat: “We possess 92 bakeries in Akkar, Batroun, Tripoli, and other cities, all of which are affected by the diesel shortage. We resorted to Ministers of Economy and Energy, but in vain. Today, gasoline has devolved into a black market, with sellers pricing it according to their fancies and companies claiming that they do not have fuel, resulting in the closure of several bakeries. Therefore, we are on the verge of a massive crisis even more serious than the gasoline issue. We are in a terrible situation. Either we close all of the bakeries, or we don’t.”
El-Mir held the Minister of Economy liable, claiming that because he is in charge of the Bakeries sector, “he must speak with the Minister of Energy, the Prime Minister, and the President of the Republic in order to address the situation.”
Bakeries that purchase diesel on the black market will surely raise the price of a loaf of bread. “If diesel is acquired at 120,000 pounds,” El-Mir remarked, “the price of a modest bundle of bread might exceed 6,000 and 7,000 Lebanese pounds.”
Regardless of how dire the situation is, the political class is still focused on creating a government that ensures its best interests and humiliates its citizens in order to seem as a rescuer as the legislative elections approach.