There is, however, no doubt about the scale of the challenge that he faces. Economists say that if this is the only way to get reform started, then so be it. Privately, they acknowledge that putting the public sector on a commercial footing without shedding jobs is impossible. The best hope is that job losses can be delayed until an expanding private sector offers alternative work. But the private sector also has a mountain to climb.
Most businesses are small and family-run.
There is little management expertise, and the way to succeed in business has, until now, been to throw your lot in with the regime. There are no private banks, so many companies have to use those in neighbouring Lebanon or Jordan. That s a shift in ideology, a very significant departure from the past. Enforcement, rather than the rules themselves, is likely to be the problem. In much of the Middle East enforcement is optional, depending on whether a person has the right connections or enough money to pay bribes.