NNA – Information Minister Paul Morcos outlined the commitments that the government has begun working to achieve, endeavoring to restore trust between the citizen and the state, build a transparent administration and an independent judiciary, and put an end to waste and corruption that have exhausted the state’s institutions, emptied the pockets of the Lebanese, and widened the circle of poverty and hunger in the country.
“These are not just slogans, but clear commitments that the government headed by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has begun to work on, placing social and economic justice at the heart of its reform program, because food security is not a luxury, but a basic right that is as important as national and political security,” Morcos affirmed.
His words came at the Lebanese Food Bank Foundation’s Iftar held at the Pavillon Hall in Beirut’s Waterfront area, where he represented the Lebanese First Lady, Mrs. Nehmat Aoun. The Iftar was attended by MPs Fouad Makhzoumi, Adeeb Abdel Masih and Waddah Al-Sadek, as well as Brigadier General Suhail Abu Daher representing the Interior & Municipalities Minister; Director General of Internal Security Forces Major General Imad Othman; former ministers Ziad Makary and Ziad Baroud; Beirut Governor Judge Marwan Abboud; Colonel Hisham Al-Solh representing the Director General of General Security, Head of the Regional Food Banks Network Moez Al-Shahdi; Head of the Maronite Foundation in the Diaspora Rose Antoine Al-Choueiri; Dr. Imad Baalbaki; Miss Lebanon Nada Koussa and Head of the Foundation Mona Kanaan, alongside a crowd of political, diplomatic, economic and social figures.
“Attending this blessed Iftar, we do not only celebrate the values of giving and solidarity, but we also affirm that these values must be translated into policies, commitment, and a clear vision that places the human being at the heart of national priorities,” Morcos asserted. He recalled herein the directives announced by His Excellency the President of the Republic in his inauguration speech, where he pledged to rebuild a just and capable state that protects its people and does not leave them vulnerable to hunger and need.
Expressing his honor to be representing the Lebanese First Lady “who holds in her heart a deep belief in the principle of citizenship first and foremost,” Minister Morcos affirmed that building a strong state begins with the human being and the right to live in dignity, and most importantly the right to food, health and education.
“In the new mandate, we want Lebanon to be stable, just, secure, and prosperous, preserving the rights and dignity of its people, starting with securing their livelihood and their right to a dignified life,” he maintained.
Morcos concluded by commending the Lebanese Food Bank Foundation, its administrators, all the generous givers, and everyone who extends a helping hand in these blessed days, adding, “With your work, you are drafting a more just future, and lighting a path that the state and society must take together.”
==========R.Sh.
