Is it a “Public Relations” state [Archives:2002/37/Focus]

BY TAHA AL-A’MIRI
The ruling system in Yemen has managed during the past three years to impose a group of values and modes of conducts quite contrary to goals and aspirations of the society in a state supposed to be following order and law and equal citizenship, in a homeland void of all forms of discrimination, duality and racial vision.
These dreams and masses aspirations and citizenship rights have all evaporated under insistence of the ruling system on dictating its cultural options. The regime has managed successfully to utilize internal and external changes in order to run the country according to the law of ”public relations” and to actually render Yemen into a ”State of Public Relations” that goes too far in imposing the authority of the individual, despite loud voices promoting democracy, which is presumably a mere act of throwing dust in others’ eyes. It is aimed at disguising the ugly face of the authority system while leading its comprehensive campaign for destroying national values and social ethics to replace them by others going in line with wishes and desire of the ruling group.
The eye-catching thing through this fuss gives the foreign observer and the public inside an impression of seriousness of this boisterousness. The foreign observer could be forgiven if formed a mistaken impression as he is not closely living the reality, but it is difficult to imagine how to convince millions of the people actually experiencing the real situation.
The government and traditional centers of power in the society have been during the past few years, very capable of utilizing and exploiting the events and changeable especially in investing them in compatible and according to their will.
Through its present course of policy, it seems that the ruling system is orienting towards consolidation of a theocratic authority, considering the symbol as replacing the state as it is the source of legitimacy for the governance system and protector of its sustainable control even though through ballot boxes to which certain rituals are held. It is to be noted that the ”State of Public Relations” has founded for itself an interconnected network composed of influentials whose secondary presence constituted a circle around the governance system. The governance system has also connected itself with a system of networked relations, all of which are contained within a partisan envelop.
The authority nowadays is riding the wave of international variables to realize and gain auto- interests. The political address of the governance system is founded on intimidating the Islah party on the one hand and attaching the description of betrayal to remainder of the opposition parties. The rule system has used convening of the ruling GPC party congress to assail the opposition though it is matchless in power and capabilities. The ruling party controls the authority, riches of the country and the administrative machinery and even the media and the Supreme Committee of Elections. This huge amount of capabilities make it impossible for the opposition to compete with the ruling party and renders hegemony of the one party an option and domination.

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