YSP pays the price of its alliance with Islah Party [Archives:2008/1209/Opinion]
By: Adel Al-Shujaa
The past time period clarified that Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP) suffered a big loss as a result of its alliance with the Islah Party within the so-called Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), which also includes other smaller parties. JMP proved not to be the kind of successful and more able coalition to attract people's support. The most recent local council election showed that JMP member parties are naturally based on high-ranking coordination, not on a strong coalition, particularly as their grassroots did not abide by agreements reached by the coalition member parties. JMP also failed to establish joint institutions.
The JMP's experience says that YSP is the only loser in this coalition while the Islah Party managed to drag this party into the box of South Yemen's issue and suggest temporary programs, which were represented by talk about retirees, political prisoners, and annulling the idea of democratic transformation and connecting it with other regional and international transformations.
YSP leaders have understood that the Islah Party progresses toward democracy but with hesitant steps while being moving toward establishing a system, characterized by dialogue but under its own supervision and guardianship. The nature of the democratic system indicates that cooperation between YSP and the Islah Party is impossible under either's supervision, however, such cooperation may be achieved through an intermediary and under the supervision of an authority that practices a real behavior toward both parties and make them neutral.
This talk is not a kind of adventure, but those casting doubt on its authenticity may have a glance at the European experience that embraced the democratic process before us. The region becomes gradually less sharp while liberalism made calm steps toward labor representation. If YSP wants to recover and helps in carrying out a real political reform, it must first realize the ongoing international changes and continuous expansion of capitalism, which our country has become part of. It should also identify the ongoing crises that hindered development, helped increase unemployment and produced a spare army of idle laborers, who are impossible to be contained according to the current YSP program.
These developments necessitate that YSP must hold a dialogue with the ruling General People's Congress (GPC) depending on a strategic beginning, not on a tactic that helps create balances of a democratic system and thorough knowledge of its components in order to ensure its normal progress, as well as its interaction with reality of society.
Through its alliance with the Islah Party, YSP made its political platform empty (without any content) because it doesn't read the real situation on the ground. It also violated the social balance and did not real deal with what takes place at the international level and the resulting changes in market-related concepts.
YSP decision to boycott upcoming election is unwise
At this point, YSP decision to boycott the upcoming parliamentary election will make it lose much more in this regard. And, it will be difficult for the party to return to the political process after it would have exhausted all its provisions to fill the gaps.
Undoubtedly, the opposition in general and YSP in particular will eventually participate in the electoral process after they realized that the inevitable political losses, which may result from boycotting the election amid the current situation, are heavier than any potential losses that may be incurred by their participation in the upcoming electoral process.
As an opposition party, YSP should move toward participating in the upcoming election, promoting the qualitative action and differentiating between visions and announced programs. It should also realize that the attempts to get closer to the Islah Party under the influence of a national coalition will convince grassroots to lose trust in their parties and their potential policies.
Source: Al-Thawra Daily
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