Al-Wahdawi [Archives:2005/819/Press Review]

15 Feb.2005
Main headlines

– 22 February, the tenth general national conference of the Organisation

– NUO secretary general: the conference a qualitative transfer and important attitude in the history of the Nasserite Organisation

– Corruption lobby aborts weapons draft law

– Islah concludes its third general conference

– Nasserite Organisation calls on the Lebanese avoid their country the dangers of partition and division

Writer Faisal al-Safwani says the situation to which the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate has become in lately, does not augur well. Some have wanted to absorb enthusiasm of the syndicate's council and to disappoint hopes of the journalists and their aspirations of their elected council.

At the beginning, we have been full of hope as we were listening about programs and plans drawn up by members of the syndicate's council for the improvement of the journalists and the profession conditions. What has really happened is that the syndicate got preoccupied with issues of defending the freedom of opinion and freedom of expression, which in turn led to deterioration of the union situations.

The syndicate was not capable of defending the rights of opinion and expression nor was able to maintain its work regarding the press profession.

The responsibility of defending the freedom of opinion is not only that of the syndicate as much as it is the responsibility of the society as a whole as well as the political parties and civil organizations.

The syndicate has to lay its role in this regard, but that is a partial responsibility in participation with all political and trade unionist entities. We do not want our professional duties to be an extension to political stands that are taken by the mentality of old revenges. We realize that reality of the right to expression and freedom of opinion are not as stipulated in the constitution, but the syndicate alone cannot change the situation.
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