Reports | 25 05 2020
"I guess I'll just have to cut down on my daily intake of honey, nuts, Swiss cheese, and cured meat. Orders of the government!" With these sarcastic words, Amal expresses her opinion on the statements of the Minister of Finance in the regime's government, Ismail Ismail, who called on Syrians to take austerity measures.
The Minister's comments sparked a wave of sarcasm on the Syrian street, as another asks: "Does His Excellency really think that after 4 years of crisis, we are not already living in a state of austerity?!"
The Minister's statements, according to many views and opinions reviewed by Rozana, offer yet another evidence how distant the government is from the concerns of its citizens, and from the reality they are experiencing due to the price increases.
"#Austerity"
Following the Minister's comments and his call for austerity, Syrians launched the hashtag "#austerity" on Facebook and Twitter, mocking the Minister's words.
Rozana followed some of the views expressed during this campaign. One participant said: "Let us be austere? Hey, Mister: We have been austere for four years; why don't you simply tell us to go kill ourselves? Enough of your austerity!" While another commented: "Why don't we, as part of this austerity, feed our heaters with a diesel serum - You know, to save energy? Be austere, all ye infidels!"
While a lady wrote: "Dear Mr. government official: Speaking of austerity, would you exercise some austerity of your own, and somewhat tone down your rip-off of the ordinary citizen?"
A pro-regime page commented on the Minister's words: "The Minister calls for austerity... As if the Syrian people everyday's breakfast is made up of honey, nuts and Swiss cheese! Mr. Minister: Your Syrian people only ever eat meat once every ten days!"
The ridicule campaign, also included the Minister of Electricity Imad Khamis, with one Syrian writing: "A source close to the Minister [of Electricty] says that His Excellency is resentful of his colleague, the Minister of Finance's, austerity remarks. The reason for this resentment, according to the source, is the wide fame the Minister of Finance now enjoys on social network pages, threatening to overtake the fame of Minister Imad Khamis."
50K per Month, After Austerity!
Abu Louay, a state employee, comments on the Minister's call for austerity: "Under the current circumstances and the endless wave of price rises, the average monthly household expenditure is almost of 50K pounds. This after the austerity forced upon people by the current circumstances."
He adds: "Average spending rose by at least 150% during the crisis. Before, it used to be between 20K to 25K [Syrian] Pounds per month for a middle- to low-income family of 4 persons."
So, What Did the Minister Actually Say? And Why Did He Apologize?
The words of the Minister of Finance in the regime's Government, Ismail Ismail, on austerity came during an interview with "Damascus Now" Network. In this interview, he said that "the Ministry of Finance is not considering raising employees' salaries. The government is already supporting the citizen without him even being aware of it. It is not necessary for this support to be translated into a salary increase; citizens should, rather, practice austerity."
He added: "Syrians should not only scrimp and ration their finances; they should also practice austerity," explaining "that Syria is in a state of war. Ultimately, the Ministry of Finance is not at all considering higher salaries."
Barely 24 hours after having uttered these words, the Minister was forced to apologize for calling upon the Syrians to practice austerity, following a huge campaign attacking his statement.
In attempting to justify the situation, the Minister claimed that parts of his statement had been taken out of context, thus drastically changing its meaning.
He said: "If my message did not come across in the proper manner, I apologize to all those who received the wrong message," calling upon citizens to visit him at home, if they so wish, to look at the number of cars he has. He also reminded that his house was destroyed, and his son's clinic burned down.
A Rhetoric Within Expectations
An economist tells Rozana that the Finance Minister's invitation to practice austerity, gives ample evidence that the signs of the financial crisis the regime is facing are becoming harder to conceal. It is highly possible that there will be a delinquency in salaries' payment in the short future.
He explains: "Proof of this lies in the Finance Minister's very own words, days before this latest statement, wherein he surprised Syrians by claiming that the regime did not borrow one cent from the outside. This, at the same time when the regime declares that imports of raw materials are being made under the loan agreement with the Iranian side."
The expert says that the regime continues to pay salaries for now, because of the aid and "charity" it receives from Iran and Russia. He points out, on the other hand, that these countries are no longer capable of supporting the Syrian regime: Iran has refused to renew its loan agreement, and Russia has recently refused to grant the regime a 3 billion Syrian Pounds' aid package.
He concludes that the regime "has instead resorted, to close this gap, to imposing new fees on citizens. But collection of such fees will never reach 100%, as there are many who will not pay them. As such, a huge deficit in the payment of salaries is looming."