Governor Khodr: We accept criticism, reject unjust accusations and call on citizens not to despair

The governor of Baalbek-Hermel, Bachir Khodr, responded gratefully to the Lebanese Daily News request for an interview with him. Since the governor is known for his social activism and constant presence in the city, I have met him several times on different occasions, but this was my first face-to-face meeting in his presence. We were in his office on time, and I had in mind all the news that spoke about the personal characteristics of the governor, the active man, the initiator, who is always present in the first row of all challenges, who believes in the law and equality before him, who is subject to its principles and rules, who is to be searched like any citizen on entering the public facility, and takes the initiative to pay for traffic violations.
We did not wait long for the governor to greet us with a sweet smile and an open heart, which encouraged us to ask all our questions without hesitation, and he had for each question the satisfying answer.

Your Excellency, eight years after your experience as the governor of Baalbek-Hermel, how would you evaluate this experience?

I have worked with love and sincerity throughout this period, and I have performed my full duties within the powers guaranteed to me by law, through my public and personal relations with some local institutions and with donor countries. We have achieved a lot, especially on the security issue. We have conveyed the concerns and pain of the city to local and international officials, and we are always taking the initiative to do anything that is good for Baalbek and Hermel. Because of our great ambitions towards the province, we wanted to achieve more, but the economic situation that the country has been going through in recent years has had a major negative impact.

The economic situation you spoke about may be the most difficult in Lebanon’s modern history. How did you help alleviate its impact on citizens?

We followed up on citizens’ affairs and concerns on a daily basis, with the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, we have closed at various sensitive and delicate times to limit the spread of coronavirus infections, insisted on providing free vaccines, and launched intensive campaigns to educate citizens on the importance of these vaccines. The pandemic has accompanied the pharmaceutical crisis, so we started the “Share your medicine” campaign, which calls on citizens who own the containers of medicine in their homes without the need to share it through the center we set up, especially since the medicine has a time limit for use. We ensure that the medicine is delivered to those who need it immediately. This campaign, which was mostly volunteer based, succeeded in securing and distributing 8,000 boxes of medicine to more than 1,200 people in need.

In recent years, we have always called for the legislation and regulation of the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes, which has a positive impact on the agricultural and economic revival of the region. We have also called for the establishment of factories whose production is based on local materials, which leads to the rise of the economic and agricultural sectors. The financial and economic collapse makes the challenges harder. The state, ministries, and municipalities are balancing the Lebanese pound and buying on the exchange rate of the dollar market, and these budgets are no longer able to secure the minimum requirements for simple work such as paper, pots, stationery, and others.

Do you fear that the economic situation will reflect on the security situation? What precautionary measures have been taken?

The economic situation has indeed affected the security situation in the country, and we always hear about sporadic security incidents in various regions. However, the situation is more secure in our city. Security is maintained in our region because of the efforts of the security and military forces that ensure the security of the city and its citizens. I personally give security the absolute priority. Our security meetings are ongoing and open, and the security forces are fully carrying out their duties despite the unjust treatment of all the salaries of the security forces, the military forces and the public sector as a whole as a result of the collapse of the Lebanese lira.

The collapse of the Lebanese Pound, which you mentioned, made public sector salaries worthless, and it is expected that salaries will increase threefold. Do you think that this law will pass, and is it enough?

The salaries of public sector employees, and I am one of them, definitely need to be addressed. When an employee does not receive a salary that protects his dignity and food, he will be reluctant to work and may quit his job and look for another one. “Even if the salaries are tripled, they will remain insufficient.” For example, the salary of the Chief of Service today, a high-level post not exceeding $60 or $70, with the proposed increase not exceeding $200, is an unfair salary. They talk about the difficulty of securing a source of funding for the salary increase, while this issue might be addressed by raising taxes and modernizing the cost of fees. For example, drawing the judicial record is less than its actual cost to the state.
I am personally never hesitated to work because of the loss of my salary. I am ready to work even for free, but I demand that it be within a clear reform vision and a specific time frame, which the concerned authorities must do as soon as possible.

In light of the difficult economic climate, there is a lot of criticism against officials. How do you deal with criticism?

I accept any objective criticism whatsoever, but injustice and unjust accusations are totally rejected, as many citizens hold us responsible for what is not part of our job or our authority. How can the governor be blamed for such issues as electricity and water, and the governor’s office is often without electricity. the governor is an employee not the government. The water and electricity institutions are independent institutions that the governor does not have authority over them. As a result of our good relations with donor countries, we have provided solar-powered irrigation stations in some towns. This is due to our love for this region and its people, and outside the framework of our responsibilities and powers.

There is love between Baalbek Hermel and your Excellency, but isn’t it strange that this ancient region, rich in antiquities and history, is not classified as a tourist city?

Baalbek is not classified as a tourist city, although its castle is used as a front in all the publications and tourism advertisements in the country. This is strange. We believe that the municipality of Baalbek is capable of playing a better role than the one it is currently playing and is capable of greatly improving the efficiency of the citadel.
For our part, we have always energized tourism in Baalbek with all our means, such as the celebration held on the eve of Independence Day on the occasion of Mrs. Fairuz’s birthday, and through our constant participation in all international forums that promote tourism in Baalbek, such as the “Baalbek my Love” celebration held in Paris. As the security that we have always sought to consolidate is the main pillar of tourism, the fact that Baalbek is classified as a Red Zone, or a dangerous area has affected the arrival of foreign tourists. So, we contacted these countries to lift this classification from the city. Today, we find a lot of foreign tourists in the city, on a daily basis, to learn about the glory and history of this great city.

How do you see the future of Baalbek as a city and the country as a whole in the coming period?

In spite of all the difficult conditions we are living through, I have a deep belief that we will emerge from this crisis and that the best is to come. I call on people not to despair, to have hope and to believe that this dark tunnel has come to an end and that we will come to light and salvation.
Lebanon, the small country with its area and population, the large with its potential and its people, will return to what it was and much better.