Letters to the Editor [Archives:2002/28/Letters to the Editor]

Issues to tackle for the sake of Yemen
Yemen is beautiful and its enchanted fortune soil, especially in Ibb City. What is the use of land if it is not protected by the people or by the government? Houses are built in the heart of the rich soil that is good for crops, and the others are planted with qat.
I have heard many people saying that most of their income is from qat and from abroad, but qat is only a domestic product and no other countries are buying it. Qat is useless for international trade.
Where is our coffee -Fortune in the tree that however planted you will never be poor Al-Anisi- that we were famous for and that we could export to the whole world?
What we need to do to improve Yemen is first of all promote education and technology, not qat and satellite channels. We need to stop financial corruption in the form of bribery and under-the-table money. We must enforce the law, and all rules, regulations and policies equally on all citizens. We need to establish departments for all public needs e.g., environmental protection, because I have seen a lot of plastic bags polluting our environment, especially where qat are sold.
But without fees & fines applicable on all law violators, we will not be able to provide funds to enforce the law. Another important element is human recourses. We need to train police officers to do a better job in enforcing the law.
But before all that, we need to raise their salaries as it is impossible for a policeman for example with a 8,000 rial monthly salary to treat one of his parents or kids whenever he/she gets sick.
There are many other things that need to be tackled, but those issues are certainly the starting point.
Abdulsalam Hidarah
[email protected]
A letter of appeal to Deputy Foreign Minister
I, the undersigned, appeal to you, on humanitarian grounds, to deliver visas to Ms. Nadia Muhsen, a British citizen, and her children, so that she may visit her family in Birmingham, UK.
Nadia has been living in a village in the Mokbana region for more than twenty years without having had much contact with her family.
In addition, I am appealing to you, in the spirit of human dignity, to help ensure that she and the children visit the UK for medical treatment. Members of her family who have visited her on brief occasions in the past have noticed Nadias ill health. She has been observed as being grossly underweight, walking with a limp because of some unknown injury or condition, and in dire need of IMMEDIATE dental, gynecological and dermatological intervention. Nadias health seems tenuous at best. Her family desires her to have this medical treatment in the UK, which she is entitled to under the National Health Programme. This will cause no financial hardship to her husband.
At the same time, in view of the complications involving the case of Nadia Muhsen of Birmingham, I ask you to also make inquiries to satisfy yourself that the conditions in which she is being kept is keeping with the basic standards expected today by all civilized nations. Respect for human rights is an issue which transcends all differences of race, nationality and belief. I appeal to you, as ambassador to your nation, to ensure that this fundamental principle is respected in Nadias case.
Birthe Johanne Finstad
[email protected]
Norway

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