Annas [Archives:2004/711/Press Review]

9 February 2004
Main headlines
– Al-Mouayad and his companion differ in evaluating the American treatment
– Human rights minister al-Souswa: Amending school curricula is for rectifying some concepts of accusing the socialist party of blasphemy
– Dr al-Eryani, a politician, not an oil merchant
– Denying his link to al-Qaeda and Abu Ali al-Harithy, Khalid Abdulnabi: Legend of Aden-Abyan Islamist army illusionary
– Banning imports of agricultural product anew,
– Yemeni-Saudi relations witness silent developments under American will
– Local council in Mahweet suspends directors-general and harasses journalists
– Chamber of Commerce demands postponement the implementation of the sales tax for ten years

Columnist Ahmed al-Shalafi says in an article the severest of what can happen now is that the Journalists Syndicate elections result in a similar way as the rest of other elections and the journalist as others would discover that he has lost the advantage of thinking and the choice of his decision.
If the pioneers of the society and its leaders are not capable of controlling the destiny of their syndicate it would no doubt be the worst thing expressing the level that we may reach in the future.
We just want others, whether officials or ordinary people in our society, to understand hat there is a journalist professional syndicate comprising of about nine-hundred members capable of giving a good example through their choice of capable leaders of the syndicate contributing to development of journalism and preserving this essential profession. Why don't all the journalists work together for regaining the prestige of journalism to be able to deal with the society's issues and reforming some of its defects and to communicate the voice of those unjustly treated truthfully?
If it is a must to speak truthfully the honour of the Yemeni journalist needs to be saved, not by an ethics charter but by honourable professional journalists who would not offend themselves or their profession. We don't want to exaggerate in saying that the elections can rectify the status of the some but it can be a basic step on the right direction. Finally what we fear most is that the elections could develop into a tribal reconciliation.
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