Adwan Says 'Well-Balanced Budget Crucial' for Lebanon

Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan on Thursday said the Lebanese people were granted “a long-standing right” after the parliament’s approval of the wage scale, and stressed the necessity to have a “balanced” state budget.

Adwan said the Lebanese Forces have fought for the approval of the wage scale “because we believe it is the people's right. The State has been delinquent. Should it have set the living costs and set controls for everything long before, it would have saved us a lot of time.

“The economy and the State's Finances are paying the price for this delay,” he said.

However Adwan added: “What is important is that there is a right that has been given to its owners, but we have to work seriously on the State's Finances to keep what has been given today, up to its value.”

The MP added: “We have started from our keenness on the people and the (State's) treasury. The right has been granted but most importantly is to have a carefully thought-out budget, and to spend in parallel with rationalizing expenditures, stopping waste and preventing corruption. That is how the country's finances and economy are valued, and most importantly we can invest to stimulate growth.”