Lebanon woke up today with two time zones after the Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, announced a few days ago that the time would not be brought forward, as it should have been this Sunday officially with summer time, in a dispute that has acquired sectarian overtones.
In a decree, the Lebanese government decided to postpone the change from winter to summer time until midnight on April 20 instead of this Sunday.
Although the Executive did not give any explanation, the local media began to spread that the reason was the holy month of Ramadan, which would allow the faithful to break the fast one hour before the change took place.
In fact, Ramadan, which began last Thursday, is scheduled to end on April 20 in the Middle East region.
This decision provoked a wave of reactions which made some Lebanese media, such as LBCI or MTV, decide to continue with the change to summer time, as officially stipulated by law.
But the most significant has occurred with the influential Lebanese Maronite Church, which said in a statement released by its press office that “the sudden decision to postpone work in summer time for a month, issued by the interim prime minister, Najib Mikati, on the fly and without consulting with the rest of the Lebanese components, and without taking into account international norms, and because of the confusion and damage (…) they prevent the Maronite Patriarchate from joining”.
For this reason, he stated, “he undertakes to advance the clock one hour at midnight from Saturday the 25th to Sunday the 26th.”
Other Christian colleges and institutions have also adhered to this response taken by the Maronite church.
For example, the Notre-Dame de Jamhour school published a short statement inviting “All parents, teachers and students to advance the time from tonight in accordance with international practice and Lebanese laws in force for decades.”
Meanwhile, other official institutions have adapted to the new change, such as the Lebanese airline Middle East Airlines, which has caused confusion over the departure times of the flights, according to users on social networks commented under the label “service hours”. summer”.
This dispute has acquired sectarian overtones, deepening divisions in a country that witnessed a civil war between Christian and Muslim factions.
In Lebanon, a melting pot of eighteen sects, seats in Parliament continue to be divided according to religion.
This scenario of response to government decisions occurs at a time when the local currency continues to fall uncontrollably against the dollar within the framework of a presidential vacuum that does not seem to be resolved anytime soon.
(with information from EFE)
Keep reading:
Empty schools in Lebanon portend long-term damage to the future of children in the country
Human rights organizations called on the UN for an independent investigation into the Beirut explosion
Lebanon’s attorney general ordered the release of all suspects detained over the Beirut port explosion in 2020
Source-www.infobae.com