Nahhas under Pressure to Approve Transportation Allowance
No progress will be achieved in resolving the government crisis until Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas approves the transportation allowance that is part of the government wage hike, Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s circles informed As Safir newspaper in remarks published on Saturday.
They added that the minister is obligated to publish the decree after the cabinet approved it even if the decision contradicts his views.
The minister is obliged to commit to the cabinet agreement, they stressed.
Nahhas had deemed as illegal the transportation allowance proposed by the government, revealing that he had prepared a new draft law on the matter which he had referred to the concerned sides, reported As Safir.
“If my position is not to the liking of some ministers, then all they have to do is acquire over 20 ministers to force me to resign,” he added.
The government had agreed to set the minimum wage at LL675,000 – a sum that excludes the transportation allowance, but Nahhas insists on setting the minimum wage at LL800,000 including the allowance.
Meanwhile, President Michel Suleiman’s visitors reported him as saying that “government’s proper functioning can be restored once Nahhas signs the wage hike decree.”
“Measures will be taken against him if he maintains this position,” warned the president.
On February 1, Miqati had suspended cabinet sessions over an ongoing dispute over the issue of administrative appointments.
The suspension was prompted when Free Patriotic Movement ministers walked out from Wednesday’s session.
“The move is meant to push everyone to act responsibly and use their energy positively, towards the smooth run of state affairs not the opposite,” the prime minister said.
A dispute between President Michel Suleiman and FPM leader MP Michel Aoun over shares allotted to Christians has prevented consensus over administrative appointments, leaving several high-ranking posts vacant.
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