Interior Minister Elias Murr announced Monday that a new municipal law will be issued soon, after Parliament discusses and approves it. He asserted the law would respect the principle of transparency.
“The new municipal law will see the light soon after Parliament discusses and approves it … let our principles be transparent in practice,” Murr said at the opening of the Conference of the Lebanese Presence at the International Organization of Cities and Local Authorities. The conference was held on the occasion of Municipal Day in Lebanon, under the patronage of President Emile Lahoud, represented by Murr.
On hand were the representative of Speaker Nabih Berri, Beirut MP Adnan Araqji, the representative of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Industry Minister Elias Skaff, and political, security and military figures.
Also on hand were several local, Arab and foreign mayors.
Murr asserted that the law would not discriminate between sects, genders or political groups, saying “let clean hands be the trend for the future.”
He stressed the need for administrative decentralization as a tool for reform and development, and said it would contribute to improving the situation of every village and town.
“Let administrative decentralization be a tool of reform and development to achieve the goals of development … Administrative decentralization has become a need and a necessity, a law, a policy and a civilization,” Murr said.
Decentralization is an important part of the Taif Accord that was never achieved. Decentralization would mean that politicians in power now, who depend on patronage to secure their positions, could lose the basis of their power.
The minister called for the promotion of democratic values that draw their power from the rule of the people, saying that “the interest of the people is above all other interests.”
“As we refuse any marginalization or restriction of local authorities, we also refuse those who exploit local authorities at the expense of people’s interests,” he said.
Murr emphasized the importance of adopting competence and ethics in the field of public service, which attracts young people. He also asserted that he would make every effort to improve municipal work to achieve equality among all people.
“We refuse control and tutelage over municipal work,” Murr said, calling for the freedom and independence of local authorities.
He added that experiences throughout the world have shown that the more municipal work is promoted, the more local society will head toward modernity and interaction. He added that effective local authorities contributed to the development of the spirit of initiative and responsibility among village residents.