Explained | The row over Daylight Saving Time in Lebanon

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday (March 27) reversed the decision to delay Daylight SavingTime.The clocks will move one hour ahead on Wednesday (March 29) night now.

But what led to that reversal? Basically, chaos! Thepeople ofLebanon had been utterly confused fordays...over time. They literally didn't know the time of day it wasever since the government decided to push forward the implementation of Daylight Saving Time (DST). Normally, daylight saving time, the practice of setting clocks forward by an hour, comes into force in Lebanon on the last Sunday of March. This is the case with most European countries as well. But this year, the government had taken anunusual decision to wait till the end of Ramadan to do the same.

The decisionled to chaos and confusion since not everyone was on board with the government's moveto delay Daylight Saving Time. Therefore,some institutions didn't move their clock forward, and then there are others who did. Citizens foundthemselves in a catch-22 situation, with students unclear about what time their school starts, and others confused about office timings.

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What is Daylight saving time?

Daylight Saving Time isthe practice of moving clocks forward by an hour during summer months to get the most use out of daylight since then darkness falls at a later hour than usual. Similarly, during the winter months, the clock is moved back by an hour. Several countries across the world follow this practice every year, including the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, European Union, and others.

The move is implemented almost everywhere on a weekend to make the transition smoother since schools and most workplaces are shut on a Sunday.

Also Read |Confusion in Lebanon as dispute over daylight savings causes sectarian divisions

What happenedin Lebanon?

In Lebanon, Daylight Saving Time should have ideally kicked off this Sunday. People were ready for it as usual as it is standard practice to move the clocks forward by an hour on the last Sunday of March in the country. However, the Lebanese government chose to pour hot water over the preparations and said that daylight saving time will now be implemented after Ramadan ends.

The decision took everyone by surprise and has apparently also led to a religious divide in the country. While some institutions complied with the government's decision, others refused to. The result is -- People don't know who is following what and how should they go about their schedule. So there are some schools that are still not on daylight saving time, and then there are others who are. Similarly, offices and companies in the country are also following different times, leading to chaos and confusion in the country.

The debate took on a sectarian hue for some as many Christian politicians and institutions, including the largest church, the Maronite church, moved ahead with Daylight Saving Time, thus rejecting the move to delay it.

Video of the discussion between Mikati and Berri

Lebanon’s government announced Thursday that the country's caretaker PMMikati decided to push the start of daylight savings to April 21. No reason was given for the move. But a leaked video shows Mikati and parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, engaged in discussion, with Berri asking Mikati to postpone the implementation of Daylight Saving Time as that will let Muslims break their Ramadan fast an hour earlier.

Mikati then says that he too had come up with a similar proposal, but implementation looks difficult as that might disrupt flight schedules. Berri then says, "What flights?"

The mess over time

Government institutions need to compulsorily follow all guidance issued by the state. After the announcement that Daylight Saving Time is being delayed, Lebanon’s state airline, Middle East Airlines, moved the timing of all flights by an hour. All flights scheduled to leave from Beirut airport between Sunday and April 21 have been advanced by an hour. The two mobile phone networks messaged people to change the settings of their clocks to manual instead of automatic to avoid the time from changing at midnight.

But private bodies are not bound, so they decided to go ahead with Daylight Saving Time. This includes schools, TV stations, businesses, and more. Talking about the ordeal, one person told Guardian, that she has a meeting with a government agency and 8 am followed by a 9 am Arabic class. But now both are likely to happen at the same time since the Arabic class is with an institute that will go ahead with Daylight Saving Time.

Past criticism of Daylight Saving Time

Several people believe the entire concept of Daylight Saving Time to be flawed. Changing the clock results in the circadian rhythm being affected, hitting sleep patterns. People find it tough to adjust their work and sleep schedules to the new timings.

Many Muslim countries have long debated over the issue, with people arguing that observing fast becomes difficult. Morocco temporarily drops Daylight Saving Time during Ramadan, while some countries like Iran continue to follow it even during the holy month of fasting.

In the US, many states advocate making Daylight Saving Time permanent. Then-president Donald Trump also extended his support to the proposal in 2019. Florida approved a proposal for year-round DST in 2018. The US also lets states opt out of DST, with Arizona and Hawaii choosing the option.

What prompted the reversal?

The decision to delay daylight savings time had created deep divisions in the country and even threatened to take a sectarian turn. Therefore, the PM announced thatthe cabinet had decided to reverse the earlier decision after a "calm discussion" and that the state needed 48 hours to re-adjust their operations. The decision also came after a meetingwith Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in which Berri asked him to postpone the time switch, reported Reuters.

(With inputs from agencies)

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