Lebanon today »The restructuring of the public sector … a major challenge awaiting the upcoming government!

Jassem Ajaqa wrote in Al -Diyar: According to our estimates, there are approximately one hundred thousand illegal jobs in the public sector, of which 30 thousand were employed, after the approval of the Law of Race and salaries, and the rest is an imaginary employment.

More than 300 thousand employees are receiving wages from the public sector, at a cost of six billion US dollars before the crisis, equivalent to 11% of the gross domestic product, and 35% of the public budget.

At the level of institutions, matters went away with the presence of dozens and dozens of public institutions and non -feasible ministries, neither economically nor social. The report of the Finance and Budget Committee in 2019 mentioned this matter, stressing the review of the feasibility of 90 institutions and ministry, which consumes state resources and does not benefit anyone. Also, it is not possible to lose sight of institutions that drain the state treasury without restructuring, such as the Electricity Foundation for Lebanon and other service institutions and funds, which formed in the recent past and still a great burden on the state treasury.

The restructuring of the public sector requires a comprehensive approach that aims to activate the public sector and improve its efficiency, transparency and services, in parallel with the fight against corruption in the public administration, and to strike all methods of employment based on customers. But this task requires a government committed to reform, which deliberately conducts changes and improvements on regulations, institutions and even the existing institutional structure, as a result of political will, to implement these reforms without being subjected to sectarian pressure.

The success of the procedures requires a government capable of implementing them, and a commitment by political forces, in addition to the need for legislation and laws that support these reforms. It may require the government to conduct experimental projects (Pilot), with the aim of ensuring their effectiveness before expanding their implementation. It may also be useful for the government to seek international (financial and technical) assistance, with the aim of implementing these reforms, monitoring their application, and assessing its institutional and social impact. It is also important that there be a media abandonment of these reforms, with the aim of showing their importance to public opinion (cultural transformation) and for employees themselves.