The President of the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Industry Fares al-Shihabi held the Syrian regime’s government responsible for the high prices, indicating that the government fell behind on implementing the demands to improve the standard of living before the repercussions of the conditions of war and the Caesar Act went into effect.
Shihabi’s post, on his personal Facebook account, included several items that the regime’s government has not implemented, despite there being ample time, specifically when the exchange rate was below 500 Syrian pounds years ago.
Shihabi is the same official who acknowledged that the economic sanctions are a mere manifestation of the government’s failure, and he is the one who coined the terms “the internal Islamic State (ISIS)” and “The Caesar of the Inside” as well as others that refer to the regime’s direct responsibility for the deterioration of the economy and the local currency, in contrast to what the regime’s media promotes.
Shihabi said that the government of the Bashar al-Assad regime did not accomplish any of the milestones mentioned in his posting, despite the many demands that existed before the conditions of war and the Caesar Act.
He wrote that these demands included investing in the huge Syrian monetary base by raising salaries and financing projects starting in 2014, contracting to repair the power plant in 2016, and developing an alternative agricultural plan to grow wheat and cotton, also in 2016.
Additionally, there is demand regarding the issuance of a special law that avails all the incentives required to recover the affected production areas, invest in alternative electricity projects, develop tax legislation, and grant quick cash support to Syrian exports.
He concluded by saying, “we have been raising these logical and requisite demands in various meetings, assemblies, and committees, only to listen to hours upon hours of lectures and empty talk in the media for nine consecutive years, during which our sufferings could have been made much less.”
Shihabi is one of the influential figures in Syria who are loyal to the regime, and he is one of the wealthiest people in Aleppo. He is vocal about exterminating the Syrians who demanded the overthrow of the regime. At some point, he turned into a media personality that, while promoting the regime, does criticize some of its practices regarding the struggling economy.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
