Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Monday that reform does not take place overnight but is a continuous process that requires time, effort and political consensus.
He added: "We are working today to promote our economy and institutions to restore the confidence of the citizen in the state, the confidence of the private sector in the state and the confidence of the international community in Lebanon. Restoring this confidence cannot be achieved without laying transparent foundations for our work, and informing the public opinion about the budget is important to strengthen that confidence. "
Hariri took these stances during his patronage of the launching of the "Citizen Budget 2019" ceremony this afternoon at the Institut des Finances Basil Fuleihan, in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Ghassan Hasbani, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil.
Hariri said: "I am very pleased to be with you today at the Institut des Finances Basil Fuleihan, for the launching of the Citizen Budget, for the second year in a row.
Over the last three years, we took important steps to regulate public finances, by approving three consecutive budgets after a 12-year hiatus. Just as approving the budget is essential, approving it within the constitutional deadlines is also important. This is what we will do this year, and we are committed to approving the 2020 budget within the constitutional deadlines.
Today, I came to speak to you frankly, as you all know, we are in a very delicate situation, and we cannot waste time. Everyone knows that we have to take difficult decisions in the coming period, as the Minister of Finances Ali Hassan Khalil said.
To be more frank with you, the cost of reform and the cost of decisions to be made today is much lower than the cost of managing the crisis if it happens, especially if this crisis spirals out of control.
Today we still have time to address the problems we face. The challenges before us are clear and the solutions are well known. We emphasized them in the vision we put forward at the CEDRE Conference, in the ministerial statement and in the recent Baabda meeting. It is important today that we move to the implementation phase and not waste any more time.
The reform workshop is significant and important, and I am keen to have everyone involved, from the public sector in its various departments and institutions, the private sector and civil society, through a serious and constructive economic and social dialogue. This dialogue must take place within the institutions of the State between the various departments, between the State and the private sector and between the State and civil society. We are keen on this, and I would like to praise the Economic and Social Council, which is always present to create this serious dialogue.
We are also keen to maintain a permanent dialogue with the international community on the challenges facing Lebanon and how to get out of them, and we stressed this at the CEDRE Conference through a transparent and robust follow-up mechanism.
As you know, reform does not take place overnight. It is a continuous process that requires time and effort. In order for reform to be successful and sustainable, we must secure political consensus around it. It should be accompanied by efficient, modern and productive public administrations and institutions. Therefore, all public administrations and institutions are required to be alert to keep up with this workshop. I am confident that we have enough capabilities in the public sector to advance Lebanon's economy and institutions.
We are working today to promote our economy and institutions to restore the confidence of the citizen in the state, the confidence of the private sector in the state and the confidence of the international community in Lebanon. Restoring confidence cannot be done without laying transparent foundations for our work, and this is what the Institut des Finances Basil Fuleihan is doing, by launching the "Citizen budget". Because it is very important to shed light on the figures as they are and in a transparent way, so the citizen can know the reality of the financial situation of the state, what revenues it collects and how they are spent and on which sectors. The citizen must also know why the deficit is increasing, why the public debt is rising, and why we should take the measures we are taking today.
Informing the public about the general budget is important because the budget translates the government's policy and orientations for a whole year. This is essential to promote and consolidate the principle of accountability and for the citizen to see what budget article is implemented and what is not, and to hold the government accountable on this basis and not on the imaginary basis that we hear from some politicians. This is a document that explains to the citizen what the Ministry of Finance and the State are doing, which helps us regain confidence.
This is what we should get used to in Lebanon from now on. We are not accustomed to this transparency and this way of work, and to the cooperation between institutions and between the state and the citizen, and this is what we aspire to.
This is the equation that should govern our work and that of our administrations in the next phase, because in the absence of one of these three elements, we cannot have a strong state or strong institutions.
In conclusion, I would like to thank all of you and praise the efforts of the Ministry of Finance. I also applaud the sponsors of this institute: Mrs. Lamia Moubayed Bsat and all the team composed mostly of women. I want to say that the Institute does not bear the name of martyr Basil Fuleihan by coincidence. This ambitious young Lebanese who came from abroad to contribute to the service and development of his country, made a difference in all the positions he held. He left behind him clear achievements. I am sure that this institute will follow in the footsteps of Basil, and will accompany us in our reform workshop.
I would also like to thank the Minister of Finance who, through his distinctive style of work, gave impetus to this Institute to achieve the required work. We have to continue this great work and I thank all those in charge of this Institute."
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