Beirut: As expected, the grassroots #YouStink Movement escalated its actions against the Lebanese Government on Tuesday, when several dozen demonstrators entered the poorly protected Ministry of Environment in downtown Beirut. They chanted “Barra, Barra, Barra, Machnouk Tla‘ Barra” [Out, Out, Out, Machnouk Get Out], which was the exact chant that has rocked Baghdad for days on end this month as Iraqis protest Iranian interference in their country.
A crowd gathered at the foot of the building in Beirut after guards locked doors. Several appeared on the ministry’s balcony waving the Lebanese flag.
In an urgent appeal to their supporters, #YouStink Movement organizers asked citizens to go to the ministry, which is located near Riad Al Solh Square in the Lazarieh building complex.
It was unclear whether the minister was in his office as Internal Security Forces cordoned off the premises. One television report maintained that the minister was with the Prime Minister at the Grand Serail [Government House] a few blocks away while another said that he was at his desk.
Al Jadid Television aired a report that Mouchnouk asked for a delegation to meet with him but organizers apparently refused.
On Monday, Machnouk suspended his participation in the meetings of a ministerial committee tasked with resolving the garbage problem, and insisted that he was the only official trying to resolve it.
“Most of the political parties are running away from their responsibilities,” he told the daily Al Nahar, as Prime Minister Salam appointed the Agriculture Minister, Akram Shehayyeb, as his replacement.
Shehayyeb was tasked to find an urgent solution to the waste crisis, first to collect growing quantities from overflowing streets and then, at a later time, to agree on a permanent and effective alternative to the landfill process.
After nearly two months of the “GarbageGate” saga, tensions are running high in Lebanon, especially after the cabinet postponed its decision to award contracts for waste management after bidding companies apparently presented very high rates.
#YouStink wants Beirut to unleash promised funds to municipalities to begin their own garbage management programmes. This was the first escalatory measure taken by #You Stink.
A man with many connections
Mohammad Machnouk was born in 1941 and married Minou Hexspoor, a Dutch national, although he has four children from a previous spouse. Machnouk earned a B.A. in Political Science and Public Administration from the American University of Beirut in 1968 and has a degree in Media from the University of Strasbourg in France in 1970.
A prominent Sunni personality from a well known Beirut family, Machnouk worked as Director General of the Beirut Al Masa’ newspaper between 1966 and 1973, and served as the Director-General of the National News Agency at the Ministry of Information between 1973 and 1979. Well connected and a friend of Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Mohammed Machnouk became the Lebanese representative to the Standing Committee of the Arab Media in the Arab League (1973-1979) and was elected President of the Federation of Arab News Agencies (1988-1989). By virtue of his connections, he was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association (1978-2004), and Chairman of the latter’s Education Committee (1994-2004). When Salam was Minister of Culture, Machnouk was appointed President of the Cultural Council of the city of Beirut (2000-04)
