Corruption, theft, incompetency: A recipe for disaster in Ali Baba's cave- Beirut Port Case

Opinion Analysis by Cibelle Korban, Staff Writer

February 12th, 2021

The mesmerizing tale of Ali Baba has been told throughout centuries in Arabian culture. This tale tells the story of Ali Baba, a poor woodcutter, who secretly observed and watched as forty thieves stole and hid their loot inside a cave. Later throughout the tale, Ali Baba steals from the same cave leading him to live a prosperous life, thus making himself as much of a thief as the others. However, the cave does not only exist in this tale but in a place far away from where this fictional tale took place. In fact, this cave is present in Lebanon, the Lebanese parliament and the Port of Beirut respectively. 

The Lebanese sarcastically refer to Ali Baba’s cave as a place of corruption and theft. Beirut’s port was highly recognized as the cave with the most treasure. Not only were there fifteen tons of fireworks, barrels of kerosene and acid, and large cache of ammonium nitrate but these ingredients were cooked, stirred and stored for six years, transforming it into a perfect bomb waiting to be served. On August 4, 2020, the whole city of Beirut had a taste of this explosive platter – and it was a never forgotten meal. The city was destroyed, historic homes collapsed, skyscrapers were window naked, 6000 people were injured, and more than 200 people were killed. 

A security officer at the port of Beirut, Ali Baba, in this case lured around the storage hangar until he found a broken hole in its walls. He peaked inside and was shocked with his frightening discovery. Now, had this happened in any other state around the world, this area would be immediately sanctioned, and extensive investigations would begin on the spot. But, when you’re already inside the cave, it isn’t shocking to know that everybody inside was already aware of the immense danger that was lying around in the Port of Beirut. Likewise, in the Arabian tale, the officer ironically became a member of the thieves.  

So there you have it, the perfect bomb capable to destruct a whole city, in a glimpse of a second as a result of consecutive years of neglect and bureaucratic passing by an inefficient, failed and dysfunctional government that let the perfect bomb age in a cave. Ironically, the Port of Beirut was not a wine cellar but it was the perfect place for thieves – the political ruling elite – to hide their corrupted activities and files. So, making the port resemble Ali Baba’s cave and the overlapping thieves from political parties resembling the characters in the tale.

On the evening of the devastating blast, the president, prime minster and the political class gathered to assess what had gone wrong. Similarly, to how the thieves in Ali Baba’s cave would meet up on some evenings. Ironically, because they had all been made aware of the potential disaster that could go wrong at any moment in Beirut’s port. 

So, how does one cease political power without becoming corrupted and inefficient in a system that promises a corrupted soul upon entrance to any governmental position in Lebanon? How does one gain access to the cave? How does one remain uncorrupted after entering and witnessing how deals are made and slices of the pie are shared amongst those that are most corrupted by essence? How do you defend your mind and soul in a politically sectarian post warfare economy? 

Corruption in Lebanon is a widespread disease that has permeated all levels of society. Those that are deemed most corrupt are political parties, public administration, the Parliament and the country’s police force (Leenders, 2012). Partly due to political instability, the country has not established the necessary integrity structures nor are there indications of a strong political will to fight corruption birthed by Lebanon’s confessional power-sharing arrangements that fuels patronage networks and clienteles, all which have undermined the country’s governance system (Haykal, 2017). 

To understand how corruption occurs in Lebanon, it is vital that we understand Lebanon’s history and political situation. Ever since its independence declaration that occurred in 1943, Lebanon has been ruled by power sharing agreements (Haykal, 2017). The Taif agreement, that terminated the 15-year civil war in 1990, modified the existing structure and called for a progressive elimination of sectarianism (Karam, 2012). However, this agreement was too fragile to constitute a peace base and political instability remained a pressing matter. Moreover, the confessional power-sharing arrangement runs through all levels of government and society in Lebanon and has created a rigid political system based on the search for compromise and profit sharing between political elites that have used the patronage networks to advance their own interests (Lebanese Transparency Association, 2011). 

This same political system is constructed around a power sharing arrangement based on sectarian division between all the different religious communities represented. There are 18 different recognized religious communities in Lebanon, represented by the nearly 100 political parties (Lebanon Transparency Association, 2011). So how does one remain uncorrupt and ethical when placed in a hypothetical cave with a bunch different political party thieves who unanimously steal and bury their most corrupted secrets and more so when the base of political corruption in Lebanon is both the absence of political party financing regulation and inadequate legislative accountability for their incompetence and inability to achieve promised goals and advance the country’s economic growth (Nagel and Clancy, 2019). 

Government dysfunction looming over Lebanon for thirty years, a pandemic, a collapsed economic and financial system, unaccountable political class, and on top of that an untimely explosion to wrap up Beirut’s most vivid summer season was just the tip of the iceberg. 

To conclude, Lebanon faces severe problems that are a result of corruption, lack of transparency and accountability in the public sector and governmental level and the citizens of Lebanon are those who are paying the price all while facing severe capital control and banking restrictions. Thus, Lebanon has a long way to go in terms of seeking to stratify its position with international help, such as IMF as well as implementing the necessary social and economic reforms to rise back up on its feet. However, a battle that Lebanon has to overcome is to fight and eliminate corruption to be placed on the right track for the necessary reforms and this is an impossible battle to fight with the persisting thieves in parliament and the essence of corruption that persists in Lebanon’s governmental institutions. 

References

Corruption. (n.d.). Retrieved February 08, 2021, from http://www.transparency-lebanon.org/En/Corruption/52

Haykal, S. H. (2017). Social Norms and Conditional Corruption: The Case of Lebanon. European Scientific Journal, 220-231.

Karam, K. (2012). The Taif Agreement. New order, old framework, 36-41.

Leenders, R. (2012). Spoils of truce: Corruption and state-building in postwar Lebanon. Cornell University Press.

Nagle, J., & Clancy, M. A. (2019). Power-sharing after Civil War: Thirty Years since Lebanon’s Taif Agreement. Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, 25(1), 1-8.