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Originally Posted by Danny Z  oh yeah the mess he did? how long has he been in the ministry really and who was there before him, amnesia needs treatment |
Last my post in this political thread. I will explain, why negative actions done by GB, even from short sight looks right (especially for crowd who don't understand deeply how all this "kiten works), wrong and deadly for Lebanon.
1)end of 2005- end of 2006 (Marwan Hamadeh) - issued 6 ISP licenses. Minister assassination, july war, presidential crisis - obstacles he faced. Closed many illegal satellite transmission stations owned by illegal and legal operators. Didn't appear on TV, cause he dont need cheap
PR and he don't want to shake market and ruin reputation of operators in case of mistake.
Result:ISP's able to lower prices for customers, improving the service (installing new POP's). Stable exponential growth of DSL customers. DSL market opened on fair conditions for all ISP's (it is HUGE step forward).
He is not perfect, and even i don't like him, but he did his job better than Gebran Bassil.
2)2008-2010 (Gebran Bassil) - issued 2 licenses. One of them for "neighbour" in Batroun. No backbone upgrades for ISP's, illegal fiber is cut (except Barouk case i heard about two links, one Syria, one to Jordan, reason why they appeared - government fiber installations suspended.)
Result: ISP market stagnation, all major equipment upgrades suspended, new depressive measures to hold operational income from falling results in strong service quality deterioration.
Ogero investing huge funds to break citizens privacy and freedom : content filtering (for example spent 250.000$ USD just for one BlueCoat content filtering engine!!!), DPI system to stop voice over internet. Rude monopoly become more strong. It is well known in world, this will lead to internet services degradation. Even Saudi Arabia is heaven of freedom and democracy, if you will compare their situation on telecom market, and Lebanese internet. It is easier for _Lebanese_ to open in KSA ISP, and to get capacity there, than in Lebanon.
Yes. It is even not reform. It is revolution. But kind of revolution which lead to authoritarianism, country technological degradation. Lebanese kids already getting technologically obsolete knowledge, your industry is dying, and keypoint is lack of information, lack of way to communicate, lack of education. Proper internet and intranet connection can bring Lebanon from knees, preventing it being turned to one more Zimbabwe.
Lebanon doesn't have oil, doesn't have any mineral resources, you sold even your cedars. But Lebanon have human resources and nice beaches.
Industry. Lebanon had some nice niche in industry, selling some products for middle east. Now Lebanon is going away technologically wise. For example "gold industry", jewelers. I talk with many of them, they cannot compete with chinese products, who able to make the same they made, but much cheaper. Why? They have decent technologies, factories, but their power to able to communicate fast(internet! cheap and high quality telephone connection!) with companies abroad to get cheap raw materials (while lebanese customs is terrible), equipment to work. They can show video materials over internet about their products, they can do even teleconference. Lebanon. Lebanon? In Lebanon teleconference FORBIDDEN by ministry of telecommunications. Read well
Ministry Of Telecommunications
Yes, sure, even individuals still can talk sometimes cam/voice _illegally_, when it comes to business scale - you should follow law.
Jobs. I know a lot of Lebanese work abroad. Key positions in rich "oil" countries, then coming back with all those money to mother country. Now Indians took almost all jobs in IT from Lebanese, and now taking managerial positions. They are taking also call centers jobs for whole world. Lebanon will need new generation to reach their level.
India put key efforts in IT education in schools, internet for those schools funded by government, and N1 to upgrade international capacity (IMEWE cable, is primarily for India) and make internet cheap. While country is more poor than Lebanon (income/person), they have latest technologies, which gave them boost and opened door for their young generation to get decent jobs and money over outsourcing. Now they can gain money even without leaving their home country. Their engineers start going back to home land (even from USA, check latest statistics), because they can find jobs in India this days. What about Lebanese? Any decent project done by Lebanese i found, done by Lebanese who got education and experience outside, and most of them prefer to live outside. They love their country, but they don't want to come back. And each year there is less and less projects done by Lebanese people.
What will happen if your people is undereducated and lack experience in latest technologies?
Lebanese won't go and work abroad like syrians and egyptians, as laborers on fuel stations and consierges at houses. First because it is shame for Lebanese, second because there is competition.
Tourism is nice thing, but now technology will start playing key role. One time my friend, he is German, went to Lebanon at summer. He left in less than one week. Why? Roaming here is terrible by quality and price. Hotspots in hotels not able to provide bandwidth to communicate over voice/cam. Most of rich people need to be "connected" even on vacation. Now his choice Egypt and Turkey. Lebanon still have "khaliji", but even them is getting used to technologies, and after boom in internet (they have unlimited DSL 1Mbps and more for less than $20 this days,), they will be MUCH more selective in such question in less than 5 years. Egypt and Turkey struggling to get them. And not a surprise, Turkey got much more arab tourists at 2009, even Lebanon was happy this year they had growth too, Turkey had much more, and if Lebanese will continue their political battles, forgetting about business that feed them, "their" tourists will go to more advanced tourist country - Turkey.
So what is about this "reform laws", "orange revolution". Something similar if Taliban will do revolution in Afganistan and take governance to their hands. Sure they will do reforms and revolution. Even some part of masses will like them.
While you tell "his reform laws", remember, reform doesn't mean good. If someone think reform is always cool thing, he is just stupid.
Cutting country international internet capacity while government monopoly don't have give 1 bit for citizens - it a crime against future of this country.
Your minister fail not because others did him obstacles, he was not able to find way to communicate with them. Yes people in government stealing, yes they are not very smart, yes they have different view to situation, but if you are POLITICAL FIGURE, you should be able to find way to talk with them, and not to fight. This is difference between laborer on fuel station and successfull politician - not to fight, but to find compromise, that will let him implement what he want. And only reason of that, your minister fail to get votes of people in his home city, he was not elected even in your own party (and putting him as minister made tensions inside party), for sure he will fail in government also. Try to grab some 35-40 years old guy from street, and without any elections, without any career and success in this field, marry him on political leader daugther and push as minister. Or when political figures in your government just relatives of "old" politicians. All of them not politicians at all. And thats why you stuck in countless fights and your government powerless to take any decision.
2 Weeks Ago
