Lebanon Information Minister Quits Ahead Of Protests Over Deadly Beirut Blast

The Information Minister of Lebanon “Manal Abdel Samad” gave her resignation on Sunday 9^th August 2020. This decision came into action after a deadly blast in Beirut recently. The blast incident claimed the lives of more than 150 people, and who knows the real number of recovered bodies. Unfortunately, the blast ignited a lot of sparks, which led to heavy protests by the public of Lebanon.

A Public Apology

A local media carried out the statement issued by the minister. It said: “After the enormous Beirut catastrophe, I announce my resignation from the government”. She publicly apologized to the people of Lebanon for failing them.

Actions behind the scenes

Meanwhile, the head of the Maronite church in Lebanon called on the entire government to step down on the blast incident. The blast was seen as a shocking proof of the rot at the core of the state apparatus. Over this incident, the protesters in Lebanon, who were enraged by it, vowed to rally. This rally took place after a night of street clashes, in which they rushed several ministries.

As the tensions rose, the Maronite patriarch Beshara Rai joined the chorus of the people. These were the people who were pressing Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s cabinet to step down. The reason to pressurize them to step down was the same blast incident. Additionally, the Prime Minister also said that the blast could be described as a crime against humanity.

Beshara Rai in the spotlight

Beshara Rai said that: “It is not enough for a lawmaker to resign here or a minister to resign there”. With this, he continued: “It is necessary, out of sensitivity to the feelings of the Lebanese and the immense responsibility required, for the entire government to resign, because it is incapable of moving the country forward.”

Beshara Rai also echoed calls by Diab for early parliamentary polls. The polls were the long-standing demand of a protest movement that began in October. It demanded the removal of a political class deemed inept and corrupt.

What’s with the blast?

The blast received worldwide attention. The reason was not only because it was enormous, and shook the entire nation. But it was because that the blast in real was a chemical blast. More than 2500 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate is said to be wasted in the incident. Many people believe that the incident came into action on purpose, while some claim it to be some sort of terrorist action. Additionally, many also believe that the blast was a result of negligence. However, nothing can be claimed for real. Who knows that the truth is far away from the reach of the experts.

A Final Word

President Michel Aoun on Friday rejected calls for an international investigation, which he said would “dilute the truth.” At least six lawmakers have quit since the explosion. Under increased pressure from the street and foreign partners exasperated by the leadership’s inability to enact reforms, Diab’s government is fraying at the edges. Even though the ministers who resigned were not at the fault of the blast, but it seems like they’re the poor people, who seem to dragged into this. It would have been kind of the protestors not to target such a minister to such an extent that they’d end up resigning. Even if those ministers weren’t involved in the blast, the incident claimed their jobs right now.