Pathways to an effective, accountable and transparent Lebanese state

In 2021, Lebanon’s long-neglected Central Inspection oversight agency deployed the country’s first e-governance system, IMPACT, revolutionising the way state services are provided to citizens. Since then, CI President Georges Attieh has emerged as a leading champion of reform within the state. In this interview, we hear from Attieh and Siren's Research Director, Carole Alsharabati, about the pathway toward a modern, transparent Lebanese state, and the obstacles that must be overcome along the way.

This article has been adapted from the La Nuit des Idées panel discussion organised by the French Institute in January 2022. It has been edited for brevity and accuracy.

For many years in Lebanon, we’ve observed civil society increasingly taking on responsibilities that should be seen to by the state. What do you think of this? 

Georges Attieh (GA): Civil society cannot replace the government. On the contrary, civil society must urge the authorities to assume its responsibilities toward citizens, perhaps lending it a helping hand in times of emergency. Today, the government should be playing a regulatory role, and guaranteeing an environment where civil society can grow. Instead, we have civil society filling the gaps caused by the absence of an effective government. Why have successive governments failed? Because no one has invested in Lebanon’s oversight bodies for the past 30 years. These bodies guarantee the proper functioning and implementation of laws. Any restructuring of the state will require the strengthening of Lebanon’s oversight bodies, including Central Inspection. 

"Why have successive governments failed? Because no one has invested in Lebanon’s oversight bodies for the past 30 years."

How can we get to a stage where civil society can start handing back to the state some of the roles it has been forced to take on?

Carole Alsharabati (CA): In civil society and in the private sector, there are many things that can be replicated. There are new methods, there is a flexible and adaptable way of working, there is technical expertise. The challenge is that the government’s structure is still the same as it was in the 1950s. The system is very hierarchical, extremely bureaucratic and the processes are complicated. However, there are many competent public servants who are waiting for somebody to give them a hand. They have an incredible institutional memory and this will be extremely important in building the state of the future. Moving forward, we need to link these change champions with each other. The more we embrace technology in this task and to facilitate their work, the more they will be able to reach where they need to be. 

What are the key obstacles to reaching this stage?

GA: Every change, renovation, restructuring, and endeavour will be resisted. Who is resisting? It’s not only the politicians. The politicians issued memos in their ministries, banning Central Inspection inspectors from performing their routine audit work for 15 years. There are also people in the administration who are resisting change. They are beneficiaries of this traditional regime where there is no light, no transparency.

CA: Within the government, there is what we call the deep state. Some individuals blocking reform are parastatal, like advisers who have been parachuted in by the regime. They and the public servants who feed on this clientelist and corrupt system will fight reform very judiciously. Sometimes, they use legal bodies like the State Council to issue decisions in their favour, because decisions can be easily fabricated in the State Council. They can also resort to administrative decisions, creating commissions whose only role is to obstruct. They then appoint people to these commissions who are amenable to this game. Security institutions are also sometimes mobilised to intimidate, frighten and strong-arm. Finally, politically affiliated media outlets are willing to fabricate or disseminate false information emanating from within the state. All of these tools have been mobilised in full force against our efforts to use IMPACT to drive governance reform and digital oversight and the team continues to face state-sponsored harassment.  

"Who is resisting change? It’s not only the politicians .... There are also people in the administration who are beneficiaries of this traditional regime and are resisting."

How can reform champions push back against the deep state, and what is the role of civil society here?

GA: We have to find digital solutions to resist deep state obstruction. By launching IMPACT, we were able to enforce the application of five principles: fairness, transparency, accountability, security, and privacy. With the application of these principles, you can really start to integrate civil society in audit and governance work. At the same time, we must work on public sector recruitment and promotion. Until now, the system has been based on discretion and personal relations. That’s why we’ve been working over the past year on a digital system that evaluates and produces scientific reports on the performance of each administration and each public servant. This will form the basis for giving good employees what they deserve and removing the “rotten apples.”

CA: To drive reform forward, there are internal battles that must take place within the public administration. It’s up to civil society to support those individuals within the administration who know the system well and who have a vision. In my opinion, universities have been rather absent from public life, and haven’t yet acted enough to help shift the balance and give reformists within the public administration the upper hand. Nowadays, this work is even more important, as competent people are leaving the country to pursue opportunities abroad, while the thugs and fraudsters are staying because they are able to embezzle.

"By launching IMPACT, we were able to enforce the application of five principles: fairness, transparency, accountability, security, and privacy. With the application of these principles, you can really start to integrate civil society in audit and governance work."

Does the international community have a role to play in Lebanon’s reform?

GA: The public administration’s collaboration with international actors is essential today because we lack all sorts of resources. At the same time, it’s clear from the general investigation we [Central Inspection] conducted that public administrations are lacking strategies. So public administrations need first to define their visions and priorities.

CA: The international community at the same time wants to help Lebanon implement reforms, and it expects to be informed. Therefore, it’s very important for NGOs, for civil society, and for the government, when it starts receiving funds again, to play a leadership role, rather than following funding. It’s civil society that knows the DNA of the country, and the public administration as well. So, there is a leadership role to be played by society in order to guide, to inform, to participate in defining the strategies of the international community, which has been lost today.