Good governance is key to the success of public institutions, and it is the institutions’ role to serve the citizen, not the other way around.
President Aoun: “There are no bad institutions, only bad management that drives employees toward corruption, bribery, and the extortion of citizens.”
Seklawi: “We are determined to achieve better financial results than in 2024 and are confidently moving toward a more stable future.”
During his visit at the Regie headquarters in Hadat, President Joseph Aoun said that good governance is key to the success of public institutions, adding that there are no bad institutions, only bad management that drives employees toward corruption, bribery, and the extortion of citizens. He also highlighted that it is the institutions’ role to serve the citizen, not the other way around.
The president’s remarks came as part of his inspection tour of public administrations and institutions, aimed at reviewing their operations and assessing their needs.
President Aoun arrived at the Regie headquarters at 8 a.m. and was welcomed by Chairman and General Manager Eng. Nassif Seklawi, board members, and a number of officials.
Before entering the building, he insisted on meeting with members of the Anti-Trafficking Unit who had carried out a special operation the previous day in Al-Buss refugee camp in Sour, seizing large quantities of smuggled cigarettes. Three members of the unit, including its leader, Elie Geagea, were injured during the raid.
Aoun congratulated the members of the unit on the success of the raid and anti-smuggling operation, wishing the injured a speedy recovery. “What you have achieved is a source of pride and proves that when the state is determined, no one can stand in its way. Combating the smuggling and counterfeiting of tobacco in all its forms is vital in order to protect Lebanese people and safeguard their health and well-being. Your efforts and sacrifices are commendable, and both the state and the people stand with you to continue the fight against smuggling and rid society of such scourges,” he said.
Seklawi then received President Aoun in his office and briefed him on the Regie’s work, the achievements accomplished to date, and the financial revenue it has provided to the Lebanese treasury. They also discussed ways to support the Regie’s management.
Before leaving the office, the president wrote the following message in the Regie’s Golden Book: “I was pleased today to visit a successful public institution in Lebanon, which was established 90 years ago and has served over the decades as a model of productive and transparent institutional work, contributing to the national economy and ensuring decent livelihoods for thousands of families. The efforts of the Regie’s chairman and general manager, Eng. Nassif Seklawi, and all its employees are appreciated and acknowledged.
I wish the Regie all the best in the days to come.”
After that, Aoun and Seklawi moved to the first floor of the Regie building, where they met with the Board of Directors, senior staff, Supervisory Authority members, and the heads of the Union of Employees and Workers, the Mutual Fund, the Sports Association, and the Ex-Laborers League.
In his speech, Seklawi said:
“Your Excellency the President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun,
On behalf of myself and my colleagues at the Regie, it is an honor to welcome you to the Regie, this national institution that has been, and will continue to be, a model of commitment and loyalty, and a cornerstone of the national economy.
Your visit today is truly historic, one that all those who work at the Regie deeply cherish and regard as a badge of honor. We are proud and deeply grateful that it has been inscribed in the memory of this institution, which has always been, and remains, at the service of the nation.
It is a moment of pride that we greatly appreciate, although we had hoped that circumstances would allow for a larger reception representing the various pillars of the tobacco sector. Such an event would have enabled you to witness firsthand the progress achieved in areas such as full-scale automation, quality management, occupational safety, and electronic archiving, as well as in the power plant. As you have seen, our Anti-Trafficking Unit has succeeded in entering regions that have long been considered off-limits to the state.
Your Excellency, you have placed the protection of Lebanon’s social fabric above all considerations and firmly stood against attempts to dismantle it. We are fully aware of the heavy burdens you bear and the great challenges you face, and you confront them with genuine national responsibility. We are proud to have met you even before your election to the presidency, and we see in you a true statesman who is close to the people, humble, kind, loyal, sincere, and, above all, one who rises above sectarian divides.
Your Excellency, your presence among us today eases the pain we have endured for years and renews our motivation to continue our mission of serving Lebanon. We are determined, as we promised you, to achieve better financial results than in 2024 and are confidently moving toward a more stable future. With your moral support and wise leadership, we hold every hope that Lebanon, and Southern Lebanon in particular, will remain safe in your hands.”
President Aoun then watched a documentary retracing the history of the Regie since its establishment in 1935, highlighting its key milestones, such as its transformation in 1990 into a public institution under the supervision of the Finance Ministry, following the cancellation of the previous company’s concession, as well as the beginning of its revival in 1992.
The Regie has supported the production of 25,000 farmers in 458 towns across Lebanon, particularly in the southern and northern parts of the country and in the Bekaa, and has received several awards in recognition of its achievements.
President Aoun then delivered a speech in which he congratulated the Regie’s management and staff on the achievements accomplished in recent years, commending the success of the anti-smuggling operation carried out just 24 hours earlier in Al-Buss refugee camp in Sour and wishing a speedy recovery to those injured in the operation.
“I chose today, August 1, Army Day, to visit the Regie and thank its leadership for their tireless efforts to ensure this institution’s success, because just as army personnel work silently and faithfully, the Regie’s employees diligently carry out their duties with efficiency and productivity. This is proof that good governance is key to the success of public institutions, regardless of the challenges and hardships facing the country, and the Regie is a prime example of this. I am convinced that there are no bad institutions, only bad management that drives employees toward corruption, bribery, and the extortion of citizens, and I believe that it is the institutions’ role to serve the citizen, not the other way around,” he added.
Aoun went on to address the attendees, saying: “You have played a major role in preserving this public institution, which I believe should serve as a model for other public institutions and administrations to follow. You have successfully adapted to the difficult circumstances the country has experienced and continued to implement plans and measures to advance the Regie, ensuring a better future for its employees and for the country as a whole.
I thank you for maintaining this institution’s operations free from interference and populism, which, unfortunately, have negative repercussions at the national level.”
After receiving a commemorative shield and a symbolic plaque presented by Seklawi, board members and union members, Aoun and his delegation proceeded to the Regie’s tobacco production plant. There, he met with pioneering female tobacco farmers from various Lebanese regions, who scattered flowers in his path and expressed their delight at his visit, which they said highly motivates all Regie employees. They also offered him a tobacco seedling as a token of gratitude and appreciation for his initiative.
The president then toured the production plant with Seklawi, listening to explanations from the head of the Local Production Department, Eng. Paul Ghanimeh, about the production process of Lebanese cigarettes.
He greeted the plant workers, expressing his appreciation for their efforts to elevate Lebanese tobacco production to international standards, and pressed the button to start the manufacturing machine, as a gesture to share the workers’ joy at his presence among them.