untitled design

Lebanon: Economic impoverishment, political rot

Two years after the deadly explosion in Beirut, no one has been held accountable, while the economic impoverishment intensifies. The economically weaker suffer the most.

Saad al-Din begins his daily struggle for survival. With careful manipulations, he pulls his trawler out of the small port, in the center of Beirut, which is crowded with thirty other fishing boats. The enclosed bay protects them from wind and rough seas. But nothing guarantees a good fish. “You never know what awaits you,” says Saad al-Din. “Sometimes I catch five kilos of fish in a few hours. But yesterday, for example, I stayed ten hours at sea and barely caught two and a half kilos…”

Sunburnt, with a white beard, straw hat and linen shirt, just like one imagines a fisherman in the Mediterranean, Saad al-Din struggles daily with uncertainty. His father was also a fisherman, as was his grandfather. He fishes with hook and bait himself, says he has no money for nets. It’s been a few minutes since he left the port behind and is shutting down the engine. “We used to go out more openly,” he says. “Now we can’t, gas is too expensive. If I paid more for gas, I’d have to sell the fish more expensive, but no one would buy them. Let’s just say the fish have been scarce lately…”

Four out of five on the poverty line

The economic crisis, which has plagued Lebanon for years and worsened rapidly after the deadly explosion in the port of Beirut in August 2020, has mainly affected the economically weaker. It’s not just gasoline that’s getting more expensive, says Saad al-Din. Many foods have become unapproachable. Inflation is galloping. Four out of five Lebanese live in poverty. Many times they cannot even buy daily bread, let alone fresh fish. “Nothing is like before,” says the fisherman himself. “Today, eating fish is considered something special, a special habit for special people…”

As if all this were not enough, every now and then Lebanon is left without electricity. Some days the power only comes on for two hours. Even ice cubes have become a luxury item. Another headache for the lone fisherman, struggling to maintain his merchandise. “When we port, normally the fish should be on the ice in half an hour at the latest,” he says. “Otherwise it will spoil, it will start to smell, it can also cause poisoning…”

“Politicians are to blame”

Saad al-Din, as well as most Lebanese, hold politicians responsible for the impoverishment of the country. As Lebanon’s Constitution provides for specific quotas for the representation of all religious groups, politicians are anxious to preserve the gains. Every loss of influence means less money. Politics is paralyzed, every attempt at reform falls on deaf ears, mutual accusations of corruption give and take.

Basic foods such as wheat are now only available on the black market. A little relief could be provided by the Sierra Leone-flagged ship “Ratsoni”, which departed last week from Ukraine to Lebanon via Turkey. However, for unknown reasons, the ship’s arrival is delayed. The officials do not give any explanation, they only say that “necessary negotiations have not been completed”. The agony is prolonged.

At his post Saad al-Din waits in vain to catch the first fish. Today is not a good day. Maybe tomorrow something will happen. “I’m starting to feel too old to go out to sea every day,” he says. “I would like to find another job, so that I can support my family.”

Tilo Spanchel (ARD)

Edited by: Yiannis Papadimitriou

Source: Deutsche Welle

Source: Capital

You may also like

Get the latest

Stay Informed: Get the Latest Updates and Insights

 

Most popular