Sign of disrespect for government is citizens failing to stand for national anthem, claims culture minister Crisis intensifies as manhole covers, electricity wiring and even iron handrails stolen for scrap BEIRUT: For Lebanese Culture Minister Mohammed Al-Murtada it was a sign that sums up the attitude of the country’s people toward the state, amid the nation experiencing one of the world’s worst economic crises and crime on the rise: Citizens failing to stand in respect for the national anthem. Al-Murtada had attended a cultural celebration held in the city of Sidon, southern Lebanon, and was astonished when the anthem was not played. Furious, he asked for the anthem to be played, but the attendees refused to stand. ad Al-Murtada, a former judge, said in a statement: “I repeated the request to play the national anthem so that the audience would hear me and stand up in respect. “Anyone who fails to play the national anthem and deliberately ignores it, would be contributing, knowingly or unknowingly, to neglecting a binding national duty, and this is something we will not tolerate.” However, nothing binds Lebanese citizens to their state anymore, and forgetting to play the national anthem is proof; the state is losing its stature. Theft of state property is on the rise, despite the security forces’ efforts to arrest criminals. Manhole covers are constantly being stolen and sold for scrap, between $10 and $20 each, depending on their weight. Thieves take advantage of the electricity rationing after midnight to dismantle electrical installations, which they later melt for copper that they can sell for scrap. The thievery had been anticipated because of the economic crisis that has resulted in unprecedented rates of poverty and unemployment on one hand, and inflation on the other. However, the strangest items are being stolen, which reflects the dire reality experienced by Lebanon’s citizens and residents. ad The latest, most blatant theft, was of an iron railing from a bridge in Beirut. A civil society organization, YASA, that works to secure and develop public safety to avoid traffic accidents, recently published a picture on social media of the Barbir intersection bridge, the busiest intersection in Beirut, without any handrails, captioning it: “We leave this to the competent judiciary and the internal security forces.” On Thursday, the Lebanese Army said: “Unknown individuals have stolen the metal poles and the barbed wires surrounding minefields in the southern border area to sell them. Consequently, the minefields are no longer marked out.” The army command warned against “committing such acts, given the direct danger they may pose to citizens,” stressing that it would “track the perpetrators down and arrest them.” The Lebanese are living amid a devastating economic crisis that has pushed two-thirds of the population into poverty since 2019. The World Bank described the situation in Lebanon, which hosts more than a million Palestinian and Syrian refugees, as “one of the worst crises the world has witnessed in modern times.” The lack of kinship between the state and citizens is evident by the levels of absenteeism in the public sector, with workers staying home for several days a week. ad Many are now unable to buy fuel to go to work after the government gradually raised subsidies, which caused the price of gasoline to double within a few months, not to mention the price hike following the rise in global fuel prices because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Public Administration Employees Association protested “the government"s failure to meet employees’ demands with effective solutions, and its decision to only offer social aid without increasing salaries.” The association decided to reject this aid and carry on with its strike, calling on employees to only attend work one day a week. The head of the General Labor Union, Dr. Bechara Al-Asmar, described the social aid as “peanuts.” He criticized the government and Prime Minister Najib Mikati “who had previously agreed to the system of rotation at work,” and blamed the government for not controlling market prices. Al-Asmar added: “Public and private sector employees are the most vulnerable here.” He said a general strike at all institutions could happen soon. Dr. Bashir Ismat, a professor of development studies and former advisor to the minister of social affairs, said: “The policies adopted in Lebanon, and the inability to find an alternative and root out corruption, have led to major existential crises, the result of which (could see) state institutions completely collapse.” He said crime was on the rise causing considerable insecurity. “Everything is worsening; depression, despair, suicide, school dropouts, begging, disguised begging, child labor, unemployment, low demand for marriage, divorce, prostitution, drug and alcohol abuse … The production and services sectors are falling apart, the real estate sector is suffering, shops are closing, industrial and craft institutions are shutting down.” Ismat noted: “The ruling authority and its supporters are desperately trying to save the system, and they are working together to stay in power, be it through the cash cards, social aid, or sweet promises. But the ruling authority is sinking and with it, the Lebanese.”