Shhada: Displaced Persons Ministry Staff Won't Transfer to Tech; Bill Under Study in Sub-Committee

Minister of Displaced Persons and Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence Dr. Kamal Shhada clarified points raised in an article published by the Central News Agency titled "The Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence... A Project Stuck Between Powers and Quota-Sharing," stating that the draft law is no longer in the Council of Ministers as the article claimed, but has been referred to the Parliament, which in turn sent it to joint committees, where a sub-committee derived from these joint committees examined a large number of its provisions.

In an interview with "Al-Markaziya," Shhada affirmed that the issue of staff at the Ministry of Displaced Persons differs from that of the Ministry of Technology. When the draft law closing the Ministry of Displaced Persons is approved, the remaining employees will be transferred to various administrations within the Lebanese state, while staff for the Ministry of Technology will be selected based on exams conducted by the Civil Service Board.

Regarding tensions within the Council of Ministers over the ministry's powers, Shhada confirmed that the ministry's competencies are outlined in the draft law approved by the Cabinet, and its work differs from that of the Ministry of State for Administrative Development and the Ministry of Social Affairs. Consequently, there is no governmental dispute. The government established a ministerial committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Tarek Mitri, tasked with coordinating work related to digital transformation.

Shhada concluded his remarks by saying: "We must not focus on political and media tug-of-war regarding this ministry. What is essential today is passing the law so it can have broader powers to work in the field of digital transformation, and Lebanese citizens will soon feel this change firsthand."