Before May 22 Clean Yemen’s house [Archives:2005/826/Opinion]
By Prof. Dr. Abdulaziz al-Tarb
For the Yemen Times
Nobody can deny that there have been certain changes in public life in Yemen during 2004. They relate more to appearance than to essence. Such changes can serve as symbols and indications more than being changes to the usual course.
It was clear from field visits of President Abdullah Ali Saleh that he wanted to present a new face and thought for construction and change by criticizing performance of unnamed high-ranking officials and governmental bodies, as well as local councils.
We do not want economic compensation for political loss. The approach of reform should target a robust treatment of the haphazard policies and hold accountable the corrupt officials who abuse investment and investors, indulge in a dog-eat-dog competition for lands, and sell state establishments cheaply.
We need to select the persons who are able to work while unbound by personal relationships, because all Yemenis should have their full rights in this country, as the President frequently says: The homeland is for all.
I think the time is ripe for a cabinet reshuffle prior to the coming parliamentary and local council elections. We should get rid of some repulsive corrupt faces in order to clean the Yemeni house, especially before celebrating the 15th anniversary of reunification, May 22.
We need to adopt more vitality and decisiveness in the economic arena by taking bold realistic steps to encourage private enterprises and attract investments so as to increase the growth rate and provide employment opportunities for the young people. We need also to reduce income taxes and increase customs exemptions for optimism to prevail.
Previous governments despaired to convince the ordinary man that the living standard would be OK. People in the street are witnessing the disaster of routine and absence of accountability. Pressures mount on ordinary people as they observe the astronomical prices and wait impatiently for the much-spoken-about prosperity.
As the current policy has succeeded in overshadowing political reform, and as a year has elapsed since the president invited opposition for dialogue, such dialogue has been alternately cold and hot through futile maneuvers aiming at a postponement of essential democratic reform. The dialogue agenda includes just amendment of Syndicate Acts and practice of political rights. Controversy is still going on regarding imprisonment, harassment and trials of journalists despite the president s directive that nobody should be tried for his opinion.
This is the way 2004 ended, showing no progress in terms of reform. In the economic arena, results will not be clear until one year is passed, and in the political field we should wait for a number of years. We should extract lessons from other countries' elections to be prepared for the coming parliamentary, local, and presidential elections.
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