Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, director-general of the Lebanese General Security, is on an official visit to the United States and has expressed concern over “the social situation collapsing as a result of the economic situation in Lebanon,” hoping that security will not be jeopardized.
“The situation is quite delicate,” a security source told the reporters. Goods prices are double, and some businesses are now seeking payment in US dollars as the local currency continues to fall uncontrollably. Not everyone has a stack of dollar cash. How are people going to survive? We will undoubtedly encounter a dangerous situation at some point.
“The security services are once again sounding the alarm regarding the miserable social situation of the soldiers. How it is acceptable for on-duty soldiers to only eat grains and canned goods every day?”
On Wednesday, telecommunications company Ogero in Lebanon doubled and tripled the prices for some of its services. It announced packages intended for students and those with limited income, provided that the price amendments come into effect starting July.
Before going into caretaker mode, the Cabinet held a final session and raised the tariffs of prepaid mobile services.
Caretaker Communications Minister Johnny Korm said: “The decision to increase the tariffs for telecom and Internet services was caused by problems with suppliers and employees. There is no way for any sector to continue working based on the 1,500 LBP/USD rate in these circumstances.
“The sector would have collapsed, so we halved the expenses from $560 million to $255 million, and we also took several steps to reduce the burden. The sector’s income decreased to 22 percent, and we have become one of the cheapest telecom sectors in the world, as the average rate of subscription revenue is $1.88 per month, compared to $11.5 in Jordan, for instance. With the tariff increase, the rate becomes $7, with exceptions for people with limited income, for whom there will be packages of $4.5 and $7, taking into account the people with special needs, security officers, and students.
“When we raise the tariff in July, the first bill we collect will be on Aug. 8. I understand and feel the pain of the citizens, but the tariff must be changed.”
In October 2019, the Cabinet headed by former Premier Saad Hariri discussed a proposal to impose a 20-cent fee on voice calls via applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and FaceTime to avoid the imminent economic collapse after Lebanon’s dollar reserves rapidly decreased.
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