Prime Minister Najib Mikati returned on Monday March 27 to his decision, taken last Thursday, to postpone the transition to summer time for one month. The chaos that reigned in Lebanon for three days showed the extent of sectarian dissension, the fragility of political and social balances and the weakness of the state.
From our correspondent in Beirut,
The case could have been burlesque if it had not taken on a community dimension and revived denominational and sectarian reflexes in a country bruised for more than three years by an unprecedented multifaceted crisis.
The facts are simple: on Thursday, March 23, Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced in a press release the postponement by one month of the transition to summer time usually adopted on the last weekend of March. Nothing happens for 24 hours. Suddenly, on Saturday March 25, a lively controversy broke out in the country after a video uploaded shows Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berry, who is the main Shia figure in the state, asking the head of the (Sunni) government to extend the winter timetable (which sees the sun set an hour earlier ) until the end of the month of Ramadan, with the aim of facilitating the fasting of the Muslim populations.
Outcry from Christian circles
Christian political and religious circles are protesting against this decision. taken without consultation “. The Maronite Church, several other Christian communities and Catholic schools say they will not comply with Najib Mikati’s measure. Three television channels and two daily newspapers close to Christian circles announce the transition to summer time in the night from Saturday to Sunday, as initially planned. A deputy of the Christian party of the Lebanese Forces, Razi el-Hage, filed an appeal for invalidation before the Council of State against the decision of the head of government.
The rebellion extends to certain ministers who publicly disavow Najib Mikati. Justice Minister Henry Khoury argues the Prime Minister’s decision is “ illegal because changing the time zone requires a decision by the Council of Ministers and cannot be done by a simple press release issued by the head of government.
The Minister of Education, Abbas el-Halabi, calls on all schools to switch to summer time, before reversing his decision and leaving the choice to school directors.
During this time, passions are unleashed on social networks and the exchanges sometimes take on a confessional dimension. Anecdotes abound and the Lebanese make fun of the decisions of their leaders.
However, the legendary humor of the Lebanese does not hide the seriousness of the situation. The country finds itself, from Sunday March 26, with two time zones. Summer time is favored by Christians, winter time is favored by Muslims. On Monday, schools in predominantly Christian regions open an hour later than schools in predominantly Muslim regions.
Thousands of families affected
On a technical level, Najib Mikati’s measure has taken civil aviation, telecommunications companies, banks and other sectors by surprise, which have not had time to adapt. The measurement of the postponement of the transition to summer time was taken without synchronization with the time server through the protocol known as NTP, “Network Time Protocol”.
On a practical level, Najib Mikati’s hasty decision and the refusal of certain circles to comply with it has affected thousands of families. “ I teach at a Christian university which has decided to switch to summer time and I work at a bank which has implemented the Prime Minister’s measure. My schedules collide. I do not know what to do “laments Fadia, a mother in her forties.
“The affair of the two time zones” shows the vulnerability of the Lebanese society which is very prompt to react to any event through the confessional prism. “ It’s typical of a society in crisis that loses its bearings and its critical sense and sinks into a logic of community withdrawal. », Analyzes Adel Noun, sociologist.
“ The population no longer even realizes that decision makers are deploying a diversionary strategy to divert them from the real problems and distract them with questions that in reality have no importance for their future. “, he adds.
This case also showed the extreme weakness of a failing state where an administrative decision of the Prime Minister is no longer applied, not even some of his ministers.
Faced with the chaos that has begun to settle, Najib Mikati backtracked on Monday after a meeting of his government exclusively devoted to the question of the time zone. “ The Council has decided to maintain winter time for the time being and to switch to summer time overnight from Wednesday to Thursday. We need 48 hours to sort out some technical details “, he explained.
” The decision (to postpone the transition to summer time by one month) was taken to ensure rest for people who fast during Ramadan, for one hour, without any intention of harming other Lebanese components, knowing that this decision has already been made in the past “Defended Najib Mikati.
After the delirium of the last three days, the Lebanese are caught up in the harsh realities. Whether the hour changes or not, the difficult conditions of daily life, the annihilation of purchasing power, the erosion of wages, the explosion of prices remain the same.