Maronite Bishops Call for Balanced Participation of Sects in State Posts
The council of Maronite bishops called on Wednesday for a balanced participation of all sects in state institutions after several officials complained about the alleged exclusion of Christians from key posts.
“Officials should preserve the participation of sects in civil service in a balanced way to guarantee the stability of the system,” the bishops said in a statement following their monthly meeting under Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkirki.
The employment of civil servants from all sects should also “be based on competency, integrity and the willingness to fight corruption, which has become rampant in most institutions,” they said.
On Tuesday, the Change and Reform bloc of MP Michel Aoun decried what it called the exclusion of Christians from state posts, including the Finance Ministry, saying it is contrary to the country’s National Pact.
Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil reportedly has replaced a Maronite Christian with a Shiite at a top post at his ministry.
The minister confirmed the move but said the case was “one out of 400 jobs and that his decision also noted the appointment of Christians in other departments.”
The statement issued by the bishops encouraged dialogue and “hailed any initiative that would lead to the election of a president.”
“Lebanon is ruled through cooperation among its different factions and not through divisions,” it said in reference to the latest rapprochement between the Lebanese Forces and the FPM, which is founded by Aoun.
Last month, LF chief Samir Geagea withdrew from the presidential race and endorsed the candidacy of his long-time rival Aoun.
The bishops said that “dialogue will only be effective” if “parliamentary blocs headed to the parliament to put democracy on the right path.”
They also “urged politicians to steer the government clear of their differences so that it practices its executive authorities.”
Problems such as unemployment, poverty and a delicate security situation that one third of the Lebanese population are suffering from require cabinet action, the bishops added.
G.K.
M.T.
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