15+ Reasons Why the Revolution Started in the First Place
It is time to remind everyone that the revolution did not start because a group of people was bored. It started because they were hungry, deprived, and abused by the system.
13 days of revolution and thirteen thousand fake news, propaganda, and conspiracy theories, many have tried to corrupt the revolution from within, tried to twist the causes into mischievous ones, and even tried to take advantage of the revolution to gain popularity.
@therevolution961 embedded via
So many things have happened that people almost forgot why the revolution started in the first. We will be presenting you with some of the reasons why the revolution did not corrupt the country, as the country was already on the edge of falling apart.
#1. Economic crisis
Via AP Photo/Hussein Malla
The dollar reached a solid 1,700 LPB in the black market. Exchange markets were charging 1,612 LBP for a dollar, all while exchanging dollar with the normal price in Lebanese Lira, which is 1,500 LPB. Banks ceased on giving people dollars, and marketers, as well as dealers, refused to get paid with the Lebanese Pound.
Traders usually buy products in dollars and sell them in Lebanese pound, and with a monetary crisis that was based on the rise in the value of the dollar currency against the national currency, businesses and people, in general, were just falling downhill.
#2. Nepotism
@therevolution961 embedded via
It is no secret that most people cannot find a job if it wasn’t for the magical spell of a wasta . In most jobs, it does not matter how qualified, experienced, and skilled you are. The one thing that matters is how powerful your wasta (connection) can be.
#3. The same politicians ruling for decades
@therevolution961 embedded via
Most Lebanese politicians are 15 governmental years old to the very least, some even 25 years, without offering any good benefits to the people for all those years. We are not even talking about the people who have been in the government for over 20 years and the people who were Civil War criminals.
#4. Wheat/Flour Shortage
Via NNA
One of the major sectors affected by the value of the Lebanese Pound is bread. Bakeries, as well as factories, threatened the Central Bank and demanded that dealers pay in Lebanese Pound, or else they will hold a strike.
People rushed to bakeries for a whole week and bought off whatever wheat product they could get so that they can be prepared.
#5. Fuel Strike
Via Reuters
The second major sector affected by the value of our currency is fuel. Like bread, station owners and fuel distributors threatened to go on a strike if the government does not convince the distributing companies to pay in the Lebanese currency.
This, however, lasted for weeks. Starting from Ramadan, people waited in lines every two weeks or so in gas stations to fuel up their cars, so they do not have to face a day of no fuel.
#6. Poverty