The Lebanese government has reversed its decision to delay summer time after it caused widespread controversy. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced on Monday that the government had decided to adopt daylight saving time starting from midnight on Wednesday after previously extending winter time until the night of April 20-21. Mikati’s earlier decision was intended to take into account fasting Muslims, allowing them to break their fast an hour earlier. However, the decision sparked a sectarian response, with several institutions, including the Maronite Church, schools and media institutions, rejecting it. The confusion over time also affected mobile phone users and electronic devices. The situation highlighted the current economic collapse and political divisions that have left Lebanon without a president since October.
The Lebanese woke up Sunday at two different time zones
On Monday, the Lebanese government announced that it had reversed its decision to delay summer time, after it sparked widespread division and controversy.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that the government decided to adopt daylight saving time, starting from midnight on Wednesday.
Lebanon adheres annually to the universal daylight saving time, which began this year at midnight on Saturday, but caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati decided Thursday to extend the winter time “exceptionally” until the night of April 20-21.
Mikati’s decision came with the aim of taking into account fasting Muslims, allowing them to break their fast an hour earlier.
However, the government’s decision sparked widespread controversy in the multi-sectarian and multi-religious country, and took a sectarian turn, with several institutions, led by the Maronite Church, media institutions, and schools declaring their refusal to abide by it.
The Lebanese woke up on Sunday morning at two different times.
On the impact of the crisis, which permeated a division within the Council of Ministers, Miqati called for a government meeting on his agenda only the crisis of postponing daylight saving time.
After the meeting ended, Mikati announced that the council had decided to adopt daylight saving time, provided that “the new time starts at midnight next Wednesday.”
He explained that his previous decision to postpone work in the summer time “was aimed at resting those fasting during the month of Ramadan for an hour without causing any harm to any other Lebanese component.”
Mikati continued, “Suddenly, outside the purely natural and administrative context, some considered the decision a challenge to him and gave it a dimension that I had never imagined, but I certainly did not make a decision with a sectarian or religious dimension.” He stressed that the decision did not “necessitate all these sectarian responses.”
The Maronite Patriarchate announced its non-compliance with the Council of Ministers’ decision following its issuance on Thursday, and proceeded to adjust the clock according to daylight saving time. She criticized the adoption of the decision “without consultation with the rest of the Lebanese components, and without any regard for international standards.”
Several television channels also announced the adoption of summer time, and both the Lebanese Forces Party and the Christian Free Patriotic Movement rejected the government decision.
And Middle East Airlines announced, “Presenting the departure times for all flights departing from Rafic Hariri International Airport by one hour,” after issuing its travel cards according to the World Summer Time schedule.
It is not clear whether the airline will re-change the dates following the new government decision on Monday.
Schools, universities, and other institutions were divided between those who adhered to the government’s decision and those at the end of the hour according to daylight saving time.
Confusion at the time level also affected users of mobile phones and electronic devices, some of which automatically switched to daylight saving time, as many operators were not notified of the change in the level of postponing daylight saving time.
Mikati said in his speech after the end of the cabinet meeting: “Let us be clear, the problem is not a winter or summer watch whose work has been extended for less than a month, but rather the problem is the vacuum in the first site in the republic.”
He added, “Today we solved one problem to confront and silence the sectarian pumping, but I put everyone before their national responsibilities in protecting civil peace, the national economy, and the work of public utilities.”
Lebanon is witnessing an economic collapse, with which the local currency has lost its value, and a presidential vacuum since the end of October due to sharp political divisions.
In conclusion, Lebanon has finally settled the controversy over the daylight saving time issue that sparked widespread division among religious and political affiliations. The government’s initial decision to delay summer time had led to confusion and a split in the country, with some institutions refusing to comply with the decision. However, the government has now reversed its decision and adopted daylight saving time, starting from midnight on Wednesday. As Lebanon continues to face economic and political challenges, it is vital for all parties to prioritize their national responsibilities in protecting civil peace, the national economy, and the work of public utilities.