This reality, imposed by the ongoing crisis since 2019, in turn imposed a new pattern, different from what the Lebanese have experienced during the last 30 years.
In the past years, and regardless of the rightness or wrongness of the economic policies that were followed, it was possible for any Lebanese citizen to live in a degree of prosperity and affluence, and he could secure whatever he wanted from the requirements of life in different ways and methods.
The Lebanese bid farewell to the time of opulence
In this context, some believe that the affluence in which a large segment of the Lebanese used to live was fake and unreal, and that it led to the economic catastrophe that we are living through today, while others believe that it is not the duty of the citizen to determine economic policies, but rather to benefit from them, and therefore not Fingers of accusation can be pointed at innocent citizens if they seek to live in a liberal society that follows the concept of a free economy, development and modernity.
In a quick look at the near and distant past, an economic reference confirms to “Lebanon 24” that any “Lebanese family in which both the mother and father worked, with an average income not exceeding $1,000 each, could obtain the following:
Buying a residential apartment (housing).
Buying a new car from the agent (bank loans).
Securing the food basket for an amount not exceeding $300 per month.
Insurance of transportation allowances (gasoline can be subsidized).
Home help.
Education for boys.
In addition to other life details related to well-being and the human right to a decent life, and the need to achieve various and multiple goals and aspirations.
The reference adds, “The above-mentioned approach cannot be generalized to all Lebanese society, since, since before the outbreak of the current economic crisis, there was a good group of Lebanese who were suffering, but the paradox is that the size of this group has grown illogically over the years.” The latter, which led to a significant expansion of the state of destitution and poverty, and we never exaggerate when we say that there are more than 80% of the Lebanese who have become poor in every sense of the word. Lebanese economic reality.
between the dollar and the lira
In a related context, the same reference confirms that “the economic crisis has led to the division of Lebanese society into two parts, not a third, a first part that is well-off and rich, and a second part that searches for a possible mechanism so that it can meet the minimum requirements of life.
This classification was drawn from the financial income that the citizen earns monthly or annually. The citizen who receives his salary or secures his annual income in hard currency, and of course here we are not talking about a part of the income or a percentage of it, but rather about an entire income in US dollars, so it is natural that he can From continuing with his life and pursuing his ambitions, goals, evenings, and various details of his diaries.
As for the citizen whose Lebanese pound is still the basis of his income and whose monthly or annual income is still linked to the Lebanese reality, he has inevitably turned into a poor person without making a qualitative or quantitative decline in his work.
The reference believes that “the second category of Lebanese, which represents the broadest segment, is now living from various and multi-source aid and donations.
Here, aid can be placed in two main categories:
Direct aid comes from children or relatives in exile, and this type of aid, which started high with the onset of the crisis, has diminished to a large extent due to the long term of the crisis, as the monthly aid that relatives send to each of their families now does not exceed $150 in general. .
As for the second type of aid, it often comes under the title of in-kind assistance, which is provided by various associations and institutions according to the concept of “food ration”, medical aid or seasonal requirements, such as blankets and diesel fuel in winter and other aid that is delivered to citizens who are no longer able to refuse it. or escape from it.
In conclusion, it may be too early to study the impact of the economic crisis on Lebanese life, as its results are still ongoing and there is no actual treatment for it.
