12/14/2009
American Chamber of Commerce
Better Lebanese Business Group
I wish to thank you for acknowledging my message.
May I point out that the suggestions that I presented came as the result of five years of study of the Lebanese National Budget and its sixty-six budget heads[1]. Our goal, initially, was to objectively assess the Budget’s impact on the country’s economy and its capacity to improve the lot of the citizens. We subsequently discovered that involving the citizens in the affairs of their “Dawle” would contribute to bring about improved mutual relations and understanding.
It is not without reason that the authors of the paper on “participatory development and good governance” have asserted that “involving the citizens is needed both as a tool and a goal of society’s development”.
We strongly believe in the importance of directly associating the citizens in the governance process, starting with the preparation of the National Plan, supporting its adoption by Parliament, calling for its implementation by the government, and monitoring the quality and the extent of that implementation.
The day these goals are reached will be the day when Lebanon will become a truly democratic country and a model to its regional neighbors. It will also be the day when sectarian considerations and foreign interferences will lose their impact on the citizens who will thus discover higher common motives and objectives. At such a time we may consider abolishing confessional politics because we shall be sufficiently grown up to enable us do away with it.
I hope that Wednesday’s conference will pave the road for an ambitious program of “participatory development” simultaneously and jointly undertaken by private enterprise and the Public Administration.
Sincerely,
George Sabat (founder and director)
CPI The Lebanese Center for Public Information
[1] See http://www. balancedbudget.blogspot.com/ and http://www. cpibloglist.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Participatory development an essential condition of its success
Cc: "'George Corm Dr'" , baroud@hbdt-lay.com, "'Ghassan Moukheiber'" , "'Elias Saba'" , "'Adel Cortas'" , "'Elie El Kai'" , "'Borhan El Khatib'" , yahyahakim@gmail.com, "Fadi Saab " , "Paola Chakhtoura" paola@amcham.org.lb
Date: Sunday, December 13, 2009, 4:48 AM
Attention Mr. Fady Saab
Chairman of BLBG
Dear Mr. Saab,
On the eve of the conference on Transparency, Accountability and Development, allow me to cite and highlight below some extracts from the web site on good governance that can be reached at:http://www.gdrc.org/u-gov/doc- jica_gg.html
PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT AND GOOD GOVERNANCE
· The objective of economic and social development in developing countries is to set in motion a process of self-reliant and sustainable growth through which social justice can be achieved.
· For this to be achieved the central focus of development is not necessarily to boost production of material goods; instead, it should be to foster and enhance people’s capability to have a role in their society’s development.
· Involving the citizens is needed both as a tool and a goal of development.
Note from CPI, The Lebanese Center for Public Information:
Citizens must be adequately informed if they wish to have a role in their society’s development. That is the reason why our Center has adopted the motto: “Inform before you Reform!”
We believe that our government should concentrate on getting the citizens involved in the following way:
1. Somebody should explain to the citizens how the national budget resources are currently collected.
2. Explain how these resources are currently spent.
3. Describe to the citizens the benefits of building a Five Year National Economic, Social and Financial Plan to optimize the use of the national resources.
4. Call on the citizens to participate actively in the creation of that Plan and set up a system to make such participation possible.
5. Provide the citizens with a procedure to periodically monitor the implementation of the Plan by the Authorities.
I hope that the presenters of the practical case studies will consider including these remarks in their presentation.
George Sabat (Founder and Director)
CPI The Lebanese Center for Public Information
Date: Sunday, December 13, 2009, 4:48 AM
Attention Mr. Fady Saab
Chairman of BLBG
Dear Mr. Saab,
On the eve of the conference on Transparency, Accountability and Development, allow me to cite and highlight below some extracts from the web site on good governance that can be reached at:http://www.gdrc.org/u-gov/doc- jica_gg.html
PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT AND GOOD GOVERNANCE
· The objective of economic and social development in developing countries is to set in motion a process of self-reliant and sustainable growth through which social justice can be achieved.
· For this to be achieved the central focus of development is not necessarily to boost production of material goods; instead, it should be to foster and enhance people’s capability to have a role in their society’s development.
· Involving the citizens is needed both as a tool and a goal of development.
Note from CPI, The Lebanese Center for Public Information:
Citizens must be adequately informed if they wish to have a role in their society’s development. That is the reason why our Center has adopted the motto: “Inform before you Reform!”
We believe that our government should concentrate on getting the citizens involved in the following way:
1. Somebody should explain to the citizens how the national budget resources are currently collected.
2. Explain how these resources are currently spent.
3. Describe to the citizens the benefits of building a Five Year National Economic, Social and Financial Plan to optimize the use of the national resources.
4. Call on the citizens to participate actively in the creation of that Plan and set up a system to make such participation possible.
5. Provide the citizens with a procedure to periodically monitor the implementation of the Plan by the Authorities.
I hope that the presenters of the practical case studies will consider including these remarks in their presentation.
George Sabat (Founder and Director)
CPI The Lebanese Center for Public Information
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