Leading lights say regional deprivation has been ignored by government

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Daily Star staff

Prominent citizens from Baalbek-Hermel announced the founding on Thursday of the Council for Development and Culture, saying the region’s condition had worsened with the nation’s deteriorating economy.
The announcement came during a news conference at the Press Federation’s headquarters in Raouche. Those in attendance included Baalbek-Hermel MPs Hussein Husseini and Ammar Musawi, Democratic Forum head Habib Sadeq, Press Federation president Mohammed Baalbaki and municipal and intellectual figures.
Among the council’s founders were Baalbek-Hermel natives such as former Public Works Minister Mohammed Murtada, who was selected to head the new group, former Judge Hani Mawla, and Abdel-Hadi Mahfouz, who heads the National Audiovisual Media council.
“Deprivation has pushed our youth toward emigrating either to the cities or abroad. Successive governments have made many promises to end our deprivation, but these promises have stayed on paper,” Mawla told reporters.
He said the state had spent billions of dollars on development across the country but had not allocated any funds to the Baalbek-Hermel area.
He added that despite the “many martyrs that the area provided during the battle for liberation against the Israeli enemy,” the qadas of Baalbek and Hermel had remained deprived.
“We will work toward fulfilling the demands of Baalbek-Hermel, an area with great human potential, and to keeping the farmer in his field, the worker at his job and the intellectual in his environment,” he said.
Mahfouz, who said the council is preparing to hold a conference on development in Baalbek, said the group’s founders were aware that as 40-somethings, they needed to recruit some of the younger generation, “who are the future of the country.”
Another observation about the founding members was the predominance of men. The issue was raised by Nawal Haidar, a human rights activist from Baalbek, who said that if development were the issue,  it should be pursued in partnership with women.
Mahfouz responded by saying that the council was still at the formative stage, but he added that a subcommittee would be formed to look after women’s affairs.
Mohammed Qassem, spokesman for the Public Secondary School Teachers’ League, advised the council to do more than just hold news conferences and to actively solicit the support of area residents.
Replying to Qassem’s advice, Mahfouz said the council was not a political party.
“Supporters of all parties can join us,” he said. “We have selected two topics, development and culture, that in our opinion unite all residents of the area, no matter which political party they belong to.”

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