Letters to the Editor [Archives:1999/45/Letters to the Editor]

“Feed your Dog, Guard you”
Proverbs are considered to be products of various experiences and thoughts of individuals and communities. They usually have no irregulars because they are not scientific facts but they are regarded to be as theories which can be developed or changed in the course of time. They sometimes differ from one place to another.
If we present, for instance, the Yemeni saying “starve your Dog, follow you”, that has been already applied by the Imams in their political life; take it as a primary rule for the reigning Yemeni Nation by adopting starvation and ignorance policy. However, this theory “saying” has proved to be a dismal failure and led the Imams to an immense disaster. There is clear evidence that this concept has become completely invalid.
If we state the opposite proverb as it is in the actual culture of America, we find the matter the contrary to that of American concept “Feed your Dog, Guard you” which, at the same time, has been practiced in their political life for the sake of reinforcing their rule as other advanced countries have been doing. This is the main reason of stability and development of those countries and their people.
Thus, we advise our leaders to look for an improvement in their policy to improve the living standards of individuals and to put the economic starvation policy away, that only aims at increasing reforms that have never been seen yet!! Which actually enhances the government budget with as much liquid assets in order to strengthen the position of the corrupt.
Being adopted, in our opinion, such a policy will undoubtedly lead to a miserable failure which will, at last, cause indignation of the majority of people when patience is over .
Salah Ismail Al-Himyari
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Presidential Elections
First of all, I would like to say to every one in the world, that Yemen has achieved many things in several ways.
One of the achievements is the support to make success of Yemen Times, and may Allah bless the deceased Dr. Al-Saqqaf, the founder of Yemen Times.
Anees Al-Najjar,
Ibb University
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Will they be secured?
The Yemeni Bank for Reconstruction and Development has been one of the most important economic institutions that have been participating in supporting the national economy and providing investment projects with needed capital since the 1960s, but our government does not take that into consideration. It does not give this bank what it deserves.
In support of the above contention let me give this example. The bank has a lot of contracted employees who have been working for more than 10 years. Whenever those employees demand to be regularized as official employees, the general administration of the bank tries to evade the issue by saying that this has no relation with the government decrees, and that the Yemeni bank has nothing to do with the laws and systems of the government, though it possesses 51% of the bank’s capital.
I asked some of those employees about their version of the story. One of them told me that he started working in the Yemeni bank (Mahweet branch) in 1989, but he hasn’t been employed officially yet. He said that though he was promised more than once to be fixed in his work, nothing happened. He did not continue his study for the sake of work, but now, he feels that his time was wasted in vain.
It is not a mere personal problem, but it is a disaster threatening the future of more than 750 families throughout the country. Suppose, God forbid, one of those employees died leaving nothing for his family. What a catastrophic life they will lead after the death of the only one they depended on?
In Mahweet branch, there are 6 unfixed employees whose destiny is hanging in the balance like their colleagues in other branches, under the control of some high-ups in the general administration of the bank. Who are always trying to avoid talking about the reason for the delay. Once they said that it was the government that was to blame. Another time they said that it was due to the employees’ rights of the former years of work that was responsible for the impasse. It is said that if those employees agree to dispense with their former rights to go somewhere else, everything might be settled. But, then will they be secured?
At last, I want to say that it is favorable presidential elections, when Yemeni people gave their opinions frankly, and expressed their feelings toward their president Ali Abdullah, and elected him with out any force or compulsion.
What I’m with the Yemeni people by being interested in is the rapid progress of democracy in Yemen during the past 9 years. We have witnessed many accomplishments under the reign of president Saleh. So Yemeni people put all their confidence in their president.
Finally, I congratulate the president Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Yemeni people, on occasion of the 26th Sept. and 14th Oct. revolutions. I offer my thanks and admiration for their fine qualities and rich sense of responsibility.
And I offer my best regards to the employees of the Yemen Times, who contribute to publishing concerns of so many families threatened by the danger of poverty after the death of the father or husband before being officially employed.
Khalid Ali al-Quzahy
Mahweet
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Suffering
There is no doubt, that the main reasons behind the appearance and increase of many abnormal phenomena nowadays in our country are simply the bad economic situation and corruption. Some of these observable phenomena are: 1) Briberies 2) Constant crimes 3) Robberies 4) Explosions 5) Unemployment.
Let alone the increase of beggars in our community. Unfortunately, most of these beggars are women and children. They are increasing every day because of poverty, limited income and high price of the necessary commodities that are important for their daily lives.
Frankly speaking, all of the constant crimes, robberies briberies, etc. are because of the corruption which our country suffers from, and absence of government supervision on most important issues that concern the people. So, on whom can we put the blame?
Who is responsible for the emergence and increase of these phenomena?
In short, our government should change its present plan to rebuild the upcoming future, the future of stability, and this will happen if there are serious steps for solving most essential issues that concern citizens. Otherwise, more tragic phenomena will appear to destroy these innocent citizens.
Abdo Mohammed Alabadi
Taiz
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Dear Editor,
I’m glad to write to you and to participate for the first time in your useful and wonderful newspaper “Yemen Times” which we all admire. Many reasons have encouraged me to write to you. One of them is, the continued advancement in our weekly newspaper. This advancement is embodied in the various and valuable items in it.
So, I want to congratulate you for this great success, and I hope you accept me as your friend. Also I want to thank you for your tireless efforts in presenting this beautiful picture for the English language, especially, the Chief Manager, the sons of the great teacher Prof. Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf, the Managing Editor and all the staff.
Shihab Abdullah Saif
Sabber, Taiz.
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Dear Editor,
I have the pleasure to write this letter to express my due respect and full regard to our competent writer Hassan Al-Haifi about his valuable and significant writings in Yemen Times newspaper. Although I have no experience in writing much complimentary words of which our big writer duly deserves. As I would also believe that our honorable writer would not be in need of any rhetorical compliment or commendation. His arduous activities and high-principled targets are utterly enough to show and convince anyone of his sincerity, love and patriotism toward the country and the oppressed people of Yemen. However, I would politely assure that I have known our efficient writer through his objective and useful articles and noble picture on the page of Common Sense in Yemen Times Newspaper. That has been since the first article he wrote in the paper. Whilst I have also been associated with the paper since its first year of issuance. Though our big writer had disappeared for some months, that was before the death of YT great and beloved founder Dr. Abdulaziz (God mercy upon him).
But fortunately he has come again with energy and strong activity continuing his credible writings honestly and confidently. Now I may politely refer to our reverend writer the following simple complaints of a friend of mine who has recently become a reader of YT. It was by chance that I met my friend outside the mosque after we had performed our prayers. He was standing by a small bookshop where YT used to be sold. I approached the bookshop and bought a copy of YT. Meanwhile my friend asked me about the paper and how I could read it. I told him that I could read the paper, most of time with the help of a dictionary wherever more need be. He said that he also could use a dictionary in order to know the new or difficult words for him. But he said that sometimes he finds it difficult to understand some sentences and paragraphs in Common Sense column even by the help of a dictionary. Because there were usually many punctuations, long and many punctuated sentences to form a paragraph which caused him confusion and that he could hardly pass the column after reading it three or four times. So, I tried to convince him that he would gradually get used to the column by constant and persistent reading and then it would be easy for him. He accepted my idea, but asked me to beg our great writer to rather simplify the sentences and shorten the paragraphs in his writings.
We all like to read the column, but we hope our writer would kindly make his English easier in order to make it easy for us to understand his writings without wasting much time and missing the most important contents of the column.
Many Thanks to our writer Al-Haifi.
Abdul Majid Ahmed, Mukalla

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