Sayyed Nasrallah and the Complex Approaches of Local Affairs

By Dr. Mohammad Mortada

It is difficult to separate the recent appearance of the Secretary General of Hezbollah, His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, from its predecessors, as it seems to be linked and rolling on more than one level, but on the Lebanese local issue, these appearances seemed more like a double approach:

1- The first pillar of the dual approach is related to an attempt to propose solutions, exits, endeavors and ideas related to the formation of the new government, with support for the initiatives presented by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on one hand, and urging the informed Government to activate some of its actions and create exits that would not conflict with the constitution with regard to the powers of ministers during the so-called conduct of business. Knowing that an important part of what needs to be done is linked to the work of the Ministry itself and not the work of the Cabinet as a whole, which allows the competent minister to exercise his powers under the laws in force, particularly in the supervisory sector, in cooperation and collaboration with the security forces and supervisory authorities, especially in combating corruption linked to monopolization, concealment of goods and price hikes.

2- The second pillar is linked to warnings about the resistance’s long-standing inability to remain silent facing the irresponsible behavior of monopolists and corrupt people, and the government’s failure to fulfill its responsibilities in securing basic commodities for citizens. In this spirit, His Eminence, in his last speech, issued a warning that if matters reached the point where the government can no longer carry out its responsibilities, and shows a clear inability to secure the basics, especially oil derivatives, the resistance would have to turn to the Islamic Republic of Iran to secure and ship this material to the port of Beirut.

This latest position represents a remarkable development in Hezbollah's speech; it does not constitute a sudden breakthrough, but rather in the context of what might be called "smart dose increase" in the process of confronting the starvation that the US administration is waging on Lebanon.

In an earlier overview of the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, His Eminence indicated that Hezbollah has so far been dealing with the fact that the government exists, and one of its responsibilities is to secure basic commodities, and that when Hezbollah feels that the state has become absent and unable to carry out its tasks, it would act otherwise without revealing what the party's reaction is and what it intends to do.

As preceded by this situation, Sayyed Nasrallah launched his well-known slogan that Hezbollah would not let the Lebanese starve.

It is rolling situations that started with the slogan "We will not starve" to become a warning that the party could bring oil derivatives itself from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In fact, the party could not, nor would it be wise, to issue warnings such as importing gasoline without such warnings being accompanied by initiatives urging politicians to assume their responsibilities, either with regard to the formation of the new Government, or the activation of the resigned Government. Sayyed Nasrallah went beyond exhortation, as he explained in details how to address emerging crises without linking them to the radical solutions of the economic crisis. Rather, these crises can be dismantled and treated locally, pending the formation of an effective government that can innovate and invade solutions, and presenting plans and scenarios that pave the way for radical solutions that will neither be easy nor quick, given that the need for long-term radical solutions is not exempt from trying to cope with crises through temporary solutions that reduce the economic burden on citizens.

Whatever the case is, many wondered how Hezbollah would bring in the oil derivatives, where they would be stored, how would it be distributed, how to price it, and other questions. In fact, these kinds of questions are linked to the mechanisms, which are details that Hezbollah undoubtedly has answers and solutions to, and are not interested in explaining them to the public at this time.

In any case, the choice put forward by the party seems to be working according to the saying: the last treatment is cauterization. He is serious about it, but at the same time it's a message to the people who are involved, especially those responsible for importing and securing these goods. The message is: If you are eager to secure and sustain your interests, you must secure what you have pledged to secure. Otherwise, we pledge to do the job, and we will, as always, fulfil our commitments.