Prime Minister Diab is all over the place and he just shot himself in the leg twice this week, first by approving key appointments that do not follow the guidelines recently approved by the parliament, and second by hinting at removing Central Bank governor from his position following the currency peg’s implosion.

If this cabinet has any chance of survival, it must recall its latest appointments, which are disgraceful and pitiful to say the least. They got a physiotherapist (call him health expert if u like) as a director in the Economy Ministry, politically affiliated bankers to key positions in BDL’s governing council, and the cherry on the cake was appointing a new governor to the Keserwan-Jbeil province, a province that does not exist on papers yet.

As far as Salameh is concerned, Diab looks like he has a personal vendetta against the governor, but the reality is the government can’t do sh*t without BDL and the Association of banks whether we like them or not. Firing one of the other will only make things worse, especially when we’re negotiating the IMF for a bailout plan.

To be fair, no one expected from this government to do much, especially that they inherited the worst crisis in Lebanon’s history, but the least they could have done is show some integrity and some independence. Instead, they’re proving what their opponents were saying since day1, that they’re puppets in the hands of their political masters.