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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Be a Critic not Critical



According to the Naharnet, MP Foud Saniora has given out a statement calling Aoun’s call for
protest an insult. He also accuses Aoun’s protest purpose is to aid his son in law Bassil as well as accuses him rejecting funds for electricity projects. (click here to read the article)
Many would agree with Saniora’s statement, at the same time, many would disagree. And so begins the cycle of finger pointing on who really stopped the funding for the projects, who really started this electrical crises in the first place and so on so forth. Then after a couple days later when the situation cools down; one of the politicians will accuse the other and the finger pointing start from all over again.
In order to break this vicious and unproductive cycle, politicians should learn not to criticize but become critics. In other words, don’t attack your opponent by calling them “idiots”; attack your opponent by giving a better alternative plan. So a better way for Saniora to reply to Aoun’s call for protest would be saying that Aoun’s protest for the 1.2 billion plan is meaningless and his plan (which Saniora has none) to solve the crises is the right steps forward. 



A good plan for Saniora to consider is the install Run-of-the-river (ROR) turbine. ROR turbines are good alternative to construction of dams. As the Daily Star article (click here to read article) talk about how dams could help Lebanon to increase electrical output as well as solve Lebanon water shortage. At the same time, dam are considered “bad” because they have a negative impact on the environment and tend to go over budget. ROR turbines are cheap to install and have low environmental impact due to the fact they do not require the blocking a river. Also, ROR are could be installed into smaller rivers and streams where dams can not be constructed.
Either way, to construct a dam or to install a ROR turbine there must a extensive data collection or a census about consumption of several racecourses such as electricity and water. This data is needed to better manage any project. As quoted in the article “you cannot manage what you cannot measure”.
ROR turbines are yet another project that is not studied by the government or any high officials in Lebanon. MP Foud Saniora should stop wasting time going around and round the vicious circle of finger pointing but rather supporting the formation of experts to work on ROR turbines and to make a national census. However as Lebanese, we can not way for Saniora or any official to wake up. So the call of the people of Lebanon to voice support to projects, such as mentioned above, and force politicians to go through the project whether they like it or not.

Friday, January 27, 2012

For the Wrong Reasons



http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/28106-mp-michel-aoun-before-fpm-cadres#comment_42635
This article which came from Naharnet; talks about the reasons why MP Michel Aoun calls for public demonstration. His main reason is his rivals are blocking the 1.2 billion plan (created by his ally Gebran Bassil) to solve the electrical crises.
Whether he is right or wrong to protest, the fact remains that he is protesting against the political system that is trying to conspire against his party but not to implement the 1.2 billion plan to build a new power station. On the other hand, the opposition are at fault to because rather trying to negotiate with the party in power (Aoun's party and others), they refuse any negotiations and hinder any forward steps to go through the 1.2 billion plan. The reaction from the opposition is normal because no opposition party want to make the party in power to look "functional". None the less, there is electrical crisis and both parties must unite to solve the crisis in hand.
This is another example of how two parties are not willing to work together to solve our electrical crises. 



   
 
http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?ID=65315
This article is a written interview with Dr. Chamel Macaron by the NOW Lebanon website. Dr. Chamel Macaron is founder of Altaka Albadila, which sells and installs photovoltaic and thermal solar panels and wind turbines. In the interview he suggests a project called “Connecting to the Grid”. This projects simply allows a house that has installed solar panels (or any alternate energy source) and producing excess electricity to be sent to the electric grid system. In return the government pay the household money on the amount of excess of electricity it has produced. The beauty of this idea is that each household is power plant providing electricity to there neighbors who requires much more electricity.
As stated by Dr. Chamel Macaron, there are 2 problems on why this project is not implemented. One being the government takes years to pass a bill and second the grid system is “non reliable”.

Would it be best for Michel Aoun to focus his protest to implement his 1.2 billion plan or at the very least consider the Connecting to the Grid project? Rather protesting on how his counterparts are trying to make his party look bad? Would it be best for the opposition try to come up with another plan to fix Lebanon’s electrical crises? Rather hindering any step to a solution or trying to humiliate the party in power?
These question can only be answered by the officials themselves. And as citizens of Lebanon, we do not have time to wait for there answers. Again, the call for peaceful  and non-biased protest focusing on projects such as Connecting to the Grid project  must be considered

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Enough is Enough



Since the end of the Lebanon civil, the Lebanese had to endure several obstacles in it’s rebuilding. One of the main obstacles are the Lebanese official themselves that hinder the rebuilding process mainly in the electrical sector.

As Lebanese, we spent most of our time blaming different official on who to blame on the failure to provide electricity to the public. The March 14 supporters will say “March 8 supporters are at fault because they do not pay there electrical bill”. Where as the March 8 reply by saying “March 14 do not allow any project to go through because you can not exploit it for financially”. And there is the constant bickering and fighting within each party.

The truth is everyone is at fault because as a people in one country fail to unite. The civil war might be over but Lebanese mindset are still in the civil war era. Of course this does not apply to all Lebanese but mainly to Lebanese officials. But it is those official keep the people divided but creating party flags, party songs, party rallies, and party hand signals. It is the people responsibility to control the politicians not the politicians to control the people.

The Arab Spring has shown what people power can do to oppression whether financially or socially. The Lebanese people should protest but protest with a list of specific demands. The people should demand the implantation of projects that are studied and funded in order to improve the electrical infrastructure.

We as a citizens of Lebanon should not be dormant about this dysfunctional government. We have to empower ourselves and say enough with water shortage, enough to with unsafe streets, enough with unsafe houses, and especially enough with power cuts.