Letters to the Editor [Archives:1999/34/Letters to the Editor]

Dear Sir,
I bring up this topic with tears in my eyes and a heart of fire for the sake of my country. I am majoring in International Business and reading journals and magazines of economic structure as a daily routine that comes along with the mere interest of the profession. Today, I ran upon an article in The Economist, a widely respected economics magazine. The article brought up the subject of our new free-market zone which is located in Aden.
I would like every Yemeni to read what I read and give the prosperity of our nation a second thought.
Quote
“Dubai, which is the Gulf’s main trading entropy and claims to be the world’s tenth busiest port, used to reign unchallenged as the main transshipment point between Europe and Asia. But now , two completely new ports have opened, one at Salalah in Oman and the other at Aden in Yemen, have opened for business, just as Asia’s economic slowdown has hit shipping. The logic behind the development of the new ports is unimpeachable. Dubai lies inside the Gulf, three days’ extra sailing off the main route from Europe, through the Suez Canal, around the Arabian peninsula and on to India and East Asia. Furthermore, with the ever present risk of war, insurance has risen slightly for vessels passing through the Straits of Hormmuz.
Mainline ships that stop in either Salalah or Aden and send Gulf-bound goods on by smaller feeder vessels should thus save time and money. East Africa and the Indian subcontinental also only a day or two’s sailing away. Authority, meanwhile, is running Aden and has enticed two of its biggest customers, APL and Pacific International Lines, to use the new facility.
Yet, Dubai Port Authority (DPA) shrugs off the threat. “It may lie a little out of the way, BUT YEMEN AND OMAN HAVE DISADVANTAGES TOO, ITS OFFICIALS POINT OUT. SHIPPERS WILL THINK TWICE, THEY SAY, BEFORE ENTRUSTING CARGOES TO THE KIDNAPPING- AND BOMBING-PRONE YEMENIES”.
It hurts me to see International traders divert from Yemen because of the lack of control in our lands. I don’t know why its taking our officials all this time to deal with what seems to be a minor problem to them of course, on the contrary, it is a major one that affects our economy severely.
I think it is time for us to overcome our petty differences and work for a higher goal in putting Yemen’s mark on the world-business map. Otherwise, we are surpassing a great chance for coping with the next generation of businesses. I believe its not of my own will that I speak for the rest of the enlightened Yemenies in our country that action is necessary for the current situation and to gain back the trust of foreign companies and firms that we have long lost.
I wish that this message could ring a bell in every Yemeni’s heart and mind who cares to see his country once again a great land, as it was in the forgotten past.
Hisham K. Al-Omeisy
University of Calgary
Canada
___________
Dear Editor,
In the beginning, I would like to express my deepest sorrow and sadness for the loss of a great man Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf, founder of Yemen Times and brave, famous fighter for human rights and racial discrimination. He was the best Yemeni nationalist ever.
We all pray to Allah to rest his soul in peace and paradise. On behalf of the so-called Muwalladins and myself we refer to the newspaper as our Martin Luther King.
The new weekly competition is an interesting and useful program for both the readers and the newspaper, however, please consider the following:
-Don’t make it so simple on the first try.
-Increase the number of questions (three or more).
– Encourage more old questions.
-Question on vocabularies, phrases, and idioms from other issues.
* Create competitions on poems and articles, this will especially encourage the Yemeni poets and writers.
* Please don’t stop the section, “Letter to the editor”. This part will encourage readers, writers and complainers and even they definitely could be participants.
Mohammed M. Shatabi
_______________
Disappointment!!!
For many years, we have been studying very hard and doing our best to get high averages in secondary school to join the university and get jobs. Some students joined private universities while others joined a government university. Unfortunately, those students who joined the private universities are faced with a decision. This decision stipulates that the graduating students of the private universities are not allowed to get jobs in the governmental sectors. It is said that this decision is decided by the Minister of Civil Services. I am sure that it is thought out because these students joined private universities because they have money.
In fact, every one has money and there are many classes. Therefore, it is not a matter of money but these students have joined the private universities because of the following reasons:
1-There are not enough departments at the government university, especially in Taiz’s Scientific Department.
2-At the Government University, there are many students in the same department. In other words, it is very crowded.
There are also other reasons that shouldn’t be mentioned. To Yemen Times, I am writing to whom it may concern. On behalf of my poor friends, we are calling the Minister of the Civil Services to do something for us or to find a solution, otherwise it is a disaster.
Another point I want to express is that some of my poor friends who graduated two or three years ago went to get licenses to start their own business.Wherever these poor friends go they hear ,” We haven’t heard about these universities, nor do we know about them”
If the treatment is like this then I have some questions to raise about these private universities:
1- Why are these universities licensed?
2- Why are they encouraged?
For the last time,I am asking this question, “WHAT IS OUR FATE?”
Abdulaziz Al-Boreiheg
Taiz, National University
______________
Suggestion
Many thanks to all the workers of Yemen Times, headed by the son of the late Yemen Times founder and special thanks to the Managing Editor for his beneficial articles that are always of vital importance because of the phenomenal social problems it discusses. I have been reading Yemen Times for the last three years and I benefit from it in two ways. I read it for information, as well as vocabulary, to improve my English.
My suggestion, which I hope you will take into consideration is, to add a new paper to the press that will include English literature. We would like to participate in short verses and romantic writings. We will be very glad and thankful if we are given a chance to do that through our mother, Yemen Times.
Thank you, very much Yemen Times and I wish you a brighter future.
By: Fuad Al-Sabri
_____________
Dear Editor,
I wish to express my gratitude to the Yemeni People whom I have special respect for in my soul. I had lived three years in Sana’a, in which I didn’t feel for a moment that I was a foreigner, but I always felt I was at my native Iraq. I have contributed to the development projects, and left my fingerprints in this lovely country, I have successfully performed many projects; among them were the Range-Rover show room in Sana’a, the Electrical power station in Al-Dhaleh, Al-Rowaishan Foundation, and Al-Helewa oil-field & Dhahab, in Mareb. Please send my best compliments to your colleague Sa’ad Salah Khalis and my best regards to you. Finally, my best wishes for the Yemeni people.
Ghalib H. Kummona
____________
Dear Editor,
Your newspaper is the only newspaper I read from the few newspapers from Yemen, available in the U.S.A.
The reason being is , you cover issues , subjects and stories in Yemen that I am interested in and concern me,as well as many others. Many other Yemenies feel that your newspaper represents them in every way.
Unfortunately, I don’t see you write about Yemen culture and its people for non-Yemeni readers. The only such articles are advertisements for SABA travel or other travel agencies. Don’t you think it will be a good idea to have a column dedicated to the culture and travel in Yemen? You will do the country a good favor, and make it easier for me to tell my friends and co-workers about Yemen. So, maybe next month , I will take Yemen Times to work and show my co-workers what Yemen is all about.
Thank you,
Mohamed A.S. Assana
Email: [email protected]

——
[archive-e:34-v:1999-y:1999-d:1999-08-23-p:./1999/iss34/letters.htm]