The internet game [Archives:2008/1135/Viewpoint]

Editor
Recently we were hesitantly optimistic when the websites of Yemeni opposition newspapers had been unblocked for over a week. When we were writing the headline of the news telling that the websites have been unblocked, the suspicious me said we should use the word “halt” instead of “stop” describing internet censorship. And I was right, because two days after writing the news, the websites have been blocked again. Expect for Yemen Portal which is actually a news crawler and not a content generator.

When we tried to enquire about the censorship, the unblocking and the re-blocking of the websites we rotated from one official to the other just to know who is responsible for this issue.

The problem is that the Ministry of Information washed its hands from the issue due to the lack of legislations relating to electronic media.

The Ministry of Telecommunication responsible for the internet service and the facilitating of website says they are just a tool. They would not tell who instructs the blocking of the sites, in fact, the technicians there have the audacity to say that the sites are not really blocked, it must be a technical fault.

Then there is the political security authority who should not be involved in media, yet most of the hints point to its direction. So basically because newspapers have a political line, and because their tone does not please the ruling party, the political security pulls a few strings here and there and takes care of the issue.

So where does this leave us? Electronic media is a natural extension of media development. Technology requires us to move to that dimension. One that has not yet been fully understood or utilized even in advanced countries.

There is no point in chasing journalists across the net because determined journalists will always find a new way to get their message across.

There aren't many Yemeni bloggers now but the trend is growing and soon the internet game will be available for many people. And everyone who has access to the internet will be able to publish their opinion regardless of what they are.

What will happen then? Would the government take away the internet service all together and pull us back to the stone-age? I hope not, because this would mean we would have to opt for a new way to connect with the rest of the world, perhaps by leaving the country. Then what will happen if all the educated men and women leave Yemen? Who will the government chase after then?
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