DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – It was strange that the Syrian government insisted on making a series of decisions that increase pressure on the Syrians’ daily life at a time when the living situation could no longer afford an additional expanses.
However, the government, in a behavior that seemed surprising to many, made a series of decisions to raise prices at a time where food security has become a real problem for the Syrians.
These decisions raised a number of questions, including “Does this mean that the government does not care about the people’s livelihood, and does not take into account a social reaction?”
“How would the government’s behavior be understood, and why does not it explain to the population?”
Suspicious timing
Muhammad Ahmad (a pseudonym), member of the Syrian National Party, told North Press that the increase in the prices of medicines in the last days of the current government is striking and suspicious!”
On June 17, the Ministry of Health of the Syrian government raised the price of 12,000 medicinal types by 50%, after threats from owners of pharmaceutical labs to stop working.
The decision of raising drug prices was not the only decision recently made, but many decisions to raise prices for foodstuffs such as cakes, brown bread and samoon.
In addition, raising the import values of some materials such as ghee, rice, powdered milk, oils and others.
Last week, Kinan Yaghi, Minister of Finance of the Syrian government, issued a decision to raise the minimum import values, or the so-called indicative prices, for 15 commodities in the Syrian market.
وضع صورة رقم 2.
The new price campaign made many residents wonder whether the decision-makers in the country “are studying the most appropriate time for issuing such provocative decisions, and whether there are more provocative decisions than raising prices with such salaries or not?”
Reform gesture
Such decisions are often issued during the last days of the government, bearing the consequences of those decisions before its departure.
There is not much time left in the life of the current Syrian government headed by Hussein Arnous since August 30, 2020.
Article 125 of the Syrian Constitution stipulates that the government is prepared by virtue of its resignation at the end of the term of the President of the Republic, but it continues to conduct business until a decree is issued naming the new government.
A political and economic analyst residing in Damascus, preferred not to be named, said, mistakes’ responsibility is usually attributed to a past stage, so that the new ministry does not bear responsibility when it first came to power.
He stressed that the new government may resort to canceling these decisions as a reform gesture, and thus relieves the citizens without providing anything by the ministry.
He believes that the price of the drug should be raised, because it was sold at less than its cost, and this is done at the expense of its effectiveness.
As for the rest of the foodstuffs, the matter is twofold: The first is that the sums that the state charges to merchants with the intention of supporting its budget, causes the merchant to raise the price of the commodity, in a way that does not affect their profits.
The second aspect is liberating prices, but this will be linked to an increase in salaries, and the latter is linked to a comprehensive settlement of the political and economic situation, according to the analyst.
Meanwhile, an economic researcher, who did not want to be named, said, the decision to raise prices in general is not related to the government, but rather the directives of the leadership.
“Whether this government changed or not, we will not notice any fundamental changes or qualitative differences, because the role of the government does not exceed that of the municipalities in their villages and regions,” he added.
People’s opinions
Many Syrians have reached point of starvation, and there are some who resemble the new prices’ decisions as skinning a sheep after slaughtering it.
Amira Ali, a retired housewife who lives in Damascus, said the last thing they were waiting for was the prices raising decision of more foodstuffs.
“It was expected after the president’s re-election that there would be relief, an increase in salaries, and an improvement in the standard of living,” she added.
“But instead of revival, death came, especially with price hike decisions, which will make many residents unable to buy even a package of Cetamol, which has become 1,000 SYP,” she noted.
The university student Jamal Shamel said, “People deserve more than that from this government and others, because no matter how much its decisions are against them, the majority of them will remain ready to celebrate as soon as they are asked to do so.”
Shamel pointed out that some residents believe that leaders in our country are not ashamed of any timing for issuing any of the decisions.
Canceling the decisions
Meanwhile, engineer Ayman Ali, an employee at the public sector, said that the government is required to cancel the price hike decisions, just as it froze the decision to manufacture semi-cheese and dairy.
He pointed out that “the state of oppression experienced by the population from decisions to raise prices is equivalent to what they have suffered from terrorism, rockets and missiles.”
“Food and medicine have become a dream for most residents, after the daily salary is only enough to buy 4 eggs or a falafel sandwich,” he said.
Shahin Zaher, a farmer from Rif Dimashq, wondered what the previous or subsequent government would benefit from those decisions.
“They continue to put obstacles for the people when they leave or during their appointment as ministers. Instead of supporting the people as a state, it lives and feed on their expense,” Zaher said.
Rami Ahmed, a government employee, said that in the past, the decisions to raise prices came after shortage of the material, or after an increase in salaries, but now they can raise prices whenever they want, without taking people’s feelings and living conditions into account.
Provocative decisions
Salem Ahmed (a pseudonym), a development expert, believes that the provocative decisions are not about raising prices and raising the price of medicine, but in the recently issued laws such as Law No. 8 for Consumer Protection, whose provisions do not conform to logic.
“When the penalty is 5 years in prison, according to the law, the person who is threatened with the penalty becomes willing to participate in the catering employee in his project to avoid the penalty, as well as the law of real estate sales and the sale of cars, and all of these laws can be described as destructive,” he said.
Although he believes that the next may be worse, he believes that the current government team must leave.