Cabinet reshuffle oust four ministers [Archives:2006/920/Front Page]
Mohammed bin Sallam
SANA'A, Feb. 12 ) A cabinet reshuffle was formerly declared Sana'a which included 22 portfolios. The reshuffle included 15 new ministers in the newly formed government. The new government included two women, namely Amatelarzag Ali Hamad as the minister of Social affairs and Labor and Dr. Khadija Al-Haisami as the minister of Human Rights.
The Ministries of Foreign affairs and Expatriates were fused together in one sing, with Dr. Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi being the minister. The Ministers of Culture and Tourism were re-separated. Khaled Al-Rwaishan remained the Minister of Culture while the Tourism portfolio went to the Young Minister, Nabil Hassan Al-Faqeh.
Ahmed Sofan left Ministry of Planning and Development, with Abdulkereem Al-Arhabi as the new minister. Alawi Al-Salami left the Ministry of Finance to the Shora Council and was replaced by economist Saif Mahiob Al-Asaly from Sana'a University.
Of the new faces that joined the new cabinet are, Mohamed Ahmed Naser Ali, Minister of defense, Dr. Jalal Ibrahim Fakira, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Engineer Mahmoud Ibrahim Saghiri, Minister of Fisheries, Dr. Ghazi Shaif Al-Aghbari, Minister of justice, engineer Omar Abdullah Al-Karshami, Minister of Public Works and Roads, Khalid Mahfoodh ,Minister of Petroleum and Minerals, Abdulrhman Fadhl Al-Iriani, Minister of Water and Environment, Dr. Abdul Kareem Rase, Minister of Health and Population and Dr.Saleh Basura Minister of Higher Education and Research.
In replacements in the new cabinet, Dr. Ali Mohamed Mojawar became Minister of Electricity, from the ministry of Fisheries.
Dr. Adnan Al-Jafry left the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Legislation affairs. Dr, Rashad Ahmed Al-Rasas became Minister of Parliamentary affairs coming from the Ministry of Shora Council.
A surprising return of Hassan Ahmed Al-lawzi, a popular writer and poet, to the Ministry of Information was welcomed by journalists and writers, where he came from the Shora Council.
Those who stayed in the government included, Hamoud Al-Sofi Minister of Civil services, Ali Mansour BinSafa'a, Minister of Vocational Education. Dr. Abdulsalam Al-Jofi. Minister of Education, Abdulmalik Al-Ma'lami, Minister of Telecommunications, Omer Hassan Al-Amoodi, Minister of Transport, Sadiq Amin Abu Ras, Minister of Local Administration, Abdulrahman Al-Akwa', Minister of Youth and Sports and Hamoud Obad, Minister of Endowments and Guidance.
Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi is promoted as a deputy Prime Minister and kept his portfolio as Minister of Interior.
In a related issue, the Presidential resolution no (2) for 2006 has appointed Judge Isam Abdulwahab Al-Samawi, as Head of the Supreme Court. Resolution no (4) has also appointed General Abullah Ali Ilaiwa as Consultant of the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, after leaving the Ministry of defense.
Resolution no (8) also appointed Ahmed Mohamed Al-Kohlani as governor of Aden. Dr. Abdulwahab Rawih was appointed Rector of Aden University. He was formerly the Minister of Higher Education. Dr. Yahia Al-Shaibi became Mayor of Sana'a.
Commenting to Yemen Times on the reshuffling process and the timing of it, Ali Al-sarari, secretary of popular organizations in the Socialist party said: “The image of the ruling party is already deformed, and this reshuffle added to it. It is clear that the ruling party was panicked by the success of Hamas in the recent Palestinian elections. It became more nervous and could commit more irrational actions that will complicate its matters. This reshuffle revealed that the ruling party has no hands to play and like a bankrupt merchant it turned to its old reserve. It chose the vintage anti democratic cadres from among his reserve to use them in an inappropriate time, as the world is pressing Yemen to take daring steps towards democracy. Al-sarari concluded by saying, It is clear that the regime has nothing to present for democracy.”
Sultan Al-Barakani, Deputy General Secretary of the People General Congress PGC, head of the Parliamentary group, confirmed that the reshuffle is a good step that brought the technocrats to coup with the reform program. The reshuffle gives the impression that the PGC and its leadership are capable of changing for the better.”
Dr. Abdulmalik Al-Motawakil, Deputy Secretary of the Popular Party Union and a Professor in Social sciences at the University of Sana'a said: “There is nothing new in the reshuffle. I can see good faces, but the political will is needed to achieve changes in the general policy. It is not the change of faces that matters, but the political will for reform and change.”
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