Keeping the World Bank and the Tribal Chiefs happy [Archives:2005/865/Opinion]

After the disturbances that shook the country after the Government went on to increase prices on fuel derivative products, one really expected that the Government was going to find itself on a spot that would finally lead our leaders to undertake rational and more favorable decisions for the public, under the guidance of a World Bank that for once will also show concern for the people's plight. Even after the President has suggested that the Government could reconsider if it possibly made a mistake, in such a rash and burdensome decision on the overall population of Yemen, the Government went on to insult the population by making meager reductions in the price hikes, which certainly have not added comfort to anyone's mind. After so many needless deaths and after hundreds of arrests, not to mention the widespread attacks against military bases and installations, the government made a mockery of the will of the people. It gave a token reduction of prices. It flirted with the tribal sheikhs with gratuities and more funds to fill their already overflowing pockets, so that the tribes can become under control again. It attacked the supposedly free press and went to assure the world that for all intents and purposes the minor fling with democracy that has lasted a decade and a half in Yemen is over and done with and we are right back in the near totalitarian Eighties. No more political pluralism, because parties have been cloned and genuine parties have been sent back almost to the underground again. Even political parties' newspapers can now not find anyone to print them, because the Ministry of Information will insist that any printing press daring to print an opposition party paper is subject to legal proceedings for violating the wishes of the government vis a vis that particular party. On the other hand, the tribal sheikhs have proven that again they can undermine the will of their constituencies, by simply taking advantage of them until they have embezzled all they could from the government and then send them back to their villages after they have been given their reward from the Government in nice new cars and a healthy cash payment. Again, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. In the meantime, the population is still suffering from a gas shortage, excessive profiteering by mischievous fuel sales agents that are going to squeeze as much as they could from a desperate public, before the Government takes over the squeezing. Aren't the Yemeni people ever going to find some hope or chance for coming out of this horrible abyss? A lot of them are still busy trying to find their arrested children and loved ones, many of whom were picked up at random and may not have had anything to do with any of the destruction or shooting back at the security forces. In Cairo, when many Egyptians protested against President Mubaraks's renominating himself for the next Presidential elections, thousands of Egyptians took to the street in protest. While the protest was hit hard and quelled before it could get to any level of civil disturbance, one is bound to notice that the Egyptian Government did not take out the tanks and did not resort to the use of firearms by any excessive scale. Yes, there were arrests, but one is satisfied that the behavior of the Egyptian security far outclassed the behavior of our own against their very own people. I do not recall hearing of too many casualties either.

So, now we are back to square one and as usual the people are the losers and the Government will come out with stars and stripes in the World Bank reports. Yemen will be shown that it has complied with the wishes of the organization, in making sure that the Yemeni people carry on with their suffering, not just by the killing of any chance for an economic uplift, but losing any hope in ever achieving real transparent and accountable government.

As for our tribal chiefs, we are hoping that someday they will reduce their selfish cravings and start acting like real responsible leaders. No, we do not want them to lead their heavily armed constituencies to rebellion. We want them to start echoing the feelings of their people and for once refuse to be bought so cheap by the Government for keeping their constituencies subdued.

Not only that, one senses that we are really entering another period of deprivation, as the market is beginning to lack a lot of goods that were once easily attainable, in addition to the shortages in cooking gas and diesel fuel. This observer entered the Bab Al-Sabah market and was looking for certain products that were there in abundance at relatively cheap prices. However, I was amazed to find that these products were either not there at all or did not have the sizes one needs. Again, this is at a time, when the Central Bank is not short on foreign exchange to provide for these basically essential imports, since the high prices of oil are still filling the Government coffers rather nicely and, judging by the stability of the exchange rate of the Yemeni Riyal at 192 for some time now, it can still effectively show the World Bank that it can produce “stable conditions” for the economy to get moving. But the truth of the matter is that all these superficial moves will not enhance the people's chances of improving their own lot, because those who have worked so hard to subdue the feelings of anger by the people are the only winners in all this tragedy. Thus, the Government does not mind continuing spending lavishly when it comes to “maintaining control” and “restoring order”, but none of this spending will ever dent the poor plight of those people who have expressed their anger, in the hope that the Government will remember that they also exist and deserve some kindness and relief from their government's misguided approaches to governance as well. But, alas, this kindness is only reserved for those who have been the sole beneficiaries of the kindness of the Government: the very same elements that have kept their people without any hope of relief from economic and political repression. The question is, where to next? Maybe, only the World Bank knows for sure.
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