Al-Shoura [Archives:2004/763/Press Review]
4 August 2004
Main headlines
– Amidst fire, the mediation committee meets al-Houthi in Mran
– Lifting immunity from Judge Lukman unconstitutional
– Researcher Azzan still detained in the political security prison
On the necessity of abolishing the ministry of information, columnist Mohammed Farie al-Shaibani wrote saying we are now at an age deeming the state possession of media tools as incompatible with democracy because we are at an age considering authority as employees for the people and the people would assess their extent of performance and achievement in the tasks they are entrusted to do. Out of this concept, the authority has not the right to possess media instruments to make publicity for its members or influence in their interest the people's viewpoints and opinions. The people are having the right to publish newspapers to express their points of view and watch the government they have chosen for their serving them. Those the people have chosen have no right to spend the people's properties for propaganda for themselves and to give cosmetics to their images, so how the people would react to expend the people's money for their own publicity? This is considered among the taboos in the democratic countries. We and our rulers in Yemen do not claim that we are a democratic state, but our rulers say they are exerting efforts for the establishment of democracy and making necessary reforms for that end. If we really mean and want to effect reforms the abolishment of the ministry of information and privatization of the state-owned media is the right path from where reforms to begin.
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