The visit of the Secretary-General of the "Popular Nasserist Organization," Deputy Osama Saeed, to the head of the "Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development," Bahaa Hariri, at her residence in Majdalyoun has captured the political and public attention in Sidon, overshadowing other life and livelihood issues. The initiative included efforts to enhance cooperation and solidarity among political forces, active figures, and organizations, and to alleviate the suffering of citizens amidst the collapse of various service sectors and the dire living conditions they face.
This visit marks the first official interaction in years and has engaged Sidonians of all ages in discussing its significance and timing. It has fostered a great deal of relief among the populace, with hopes that it could lay the groundwork for a new phase of cooperation following the implicit understanding between the two parties on various city issues. This is particularly significant given that it also included an initiative to ease the crises faced by people following the recent parliamentary elections, which Saeed contested alongside MP Dr. Abdul Rahman al-Bizri without forming an alliance with the Shiite duo.
Moreover, Hariri had ceased political activities and refrained from running for office in adherence to the decision of President Saad Hariri, reaffirming her important role regardless of her parliamentary or official position. Responsible sources confirmed to "Nidaa Al-Watan" that the visit was positive and was a culmination of the implicit Hariri-Saeed agreement on various city issues, as well as the ongoing phone communication between them, discussing the importance of localized cooperation and its practical mechanisms in the upcoming stage to address the complex and thorny service issues, including electricity and water outages, generator subscriptions, waste accumulation in the neighborhoods and streets of the city, and the waste treatment plant issue under new management.
The visit, accompanied by media coverage, involved Saeed's office director Talal Arqaadan and engineer Bilal Shaaban on one side, and the General Coordinator of the "Future Movement" in Sidon and the South, Mazen Hashisho, along with the Executive Director of the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development, Rubina Abu Zainab, on the other. It was regarded as a political-service working meeting that surpassed mere courtesy, serving as an opening to a new era of joint cooperation in development across all projects, including environmental, economic, and social initiatives in Sidon.
Following the meeting, Saeed remarked that it was an opportunity to exchange ideas on the city's challenging and complex issues, especially in light of the absence of state institutions and their role in addressing these problems. He emphasized the necessity of consulting with Ms. Bahaa on the practical mechanisms to adopt during this phase, specifically regarding addressing city issues or easing their burden on citizens, particularly in environmental services, electricity, water, and commercial market stagnation.
After meeting with Mayor Muhammad Saudi, Saeed announced the launch of an initiative aimed at enhancing cooperation and solidarity among active figures, organizations, and all citizens, to unite efforts in service of Sidon and its vicinity, and to alleviate citizens' suffering amid the collapses in various service sectors and the dire living conditions.
Saeed announced that he contacted MP Dr. Abdul Rahman al-Bizri, currently outside Sidon, and the head of the "Islamic Group" in Sidon and the South, Dr. Bassam Hamoud, while continuing to reach out to representatives of civic institutions, syndicates, and social and economic entities. An agreement was made to call for a consultative meeting soon at the Sidon Municipality to launch workshops addressing various fundamental files and issues, including electricity, water, waste, and other matters that concern citizens daily.
He stressed the importance of involving all stakeholders in each issue and the necessity to make use of all available expertise and specialized skills. Moreover, he highlighted the need to escalate the struggle to rescue Lebanon and to adjust the balance of power to allow for political change, which is deemed the only way forward for salvation. Saeed expressed that the ruling coalition's policies for decades have driven the country to collapse, and as long as these policies persist, conditions seem to lead further towards more collapse, threatening the fate of the people and the nation and destroying society. Thus, alongside intensifying the struggle and uniting efforts toward salvation, cooperation must be reinforced to mobilize all capacities and resources for community protection.
"I call upon the citizens and all forces, organizations, and active figures to extend a hand of cooperation and joint work in defense of the people, their rights, dignity, and to provide the essentials of a decent life," he stated.
