Letters to the Editor [Archives:2002/45/Letters to the Editor]

This is why Yemen always denies
In response to the viewpoint on issue 43 entitled “Why Deny” I would like to say that this is just a face saving action by the government. It is common in Yemeni society to act this way. It is not lying but a way to divert attention.
Since all the evidence is not available there can be nothing absolutely true. There is no way for sure to firmly assign blame this works well for Yemeni society.
Tom Richard
USA
[email protected]
War of crooks
Climate in the so-called Arab World or the “Middle-East” is so foggy! Brains are full of chaos because of the different political ingredients that spit in our region every bit of a second!
No one knows who is the real terrorist and who is the real victim! The US administration is demonstrating its muscles every day and US President George Bush is displaying his speech every now and then leaving no room for peace.
The war drums he is beating is reach the highest peak in the solar system as he is insisting to strike Iraq and commit a mass killing of the Iraqi people.
After this, will that be the end of the American democracy?
Whose War is this? Is it the war for the American people and their security or a war on behalf of the tycoons, i.e. a number of oil companies?
If this war is in the favor of the overwhelming number of US citizens then we all shall join, but if it is in the favor of a number of crooks who are daily stealing the wealth of the US citizens, then we all are against it.
Syed Hashim Hasson Ali
[email protected]
You pay or else …
Having read your last editorial “Disappointed journalist”, I was not surprised.
The thing you should know is that here in your country, any Arab or foreign person who is suspected of being paid in dollars cannot get his business on the move unless he pays.
If you are doubtful, just give a good look at what it is happening behind the curtains in the Ministry of Education.
It is virtually impossible for any Arab teacher to renew his contract that has been cancelled intentionally unless he pays.
The amount of money he pays could sometimes reach as high as $200. This is of course if he is lucky to find a friend at the Ministry. Otherwise this amount may rise to $400.
The game of “you pay or else …” might sometimes turn very dangerous when the good guys at the ministry decide to assign the father of the family a school that lies in the west and the mother a school in the east (while it is very possible in most cases to have them in one school). This is to force the poor father to pay if he wants his wife with him at the same work site.
In this case they evaluate with the help of one of those lovely calculators how much this favor of “family reunion” may cost. Let alone the deliberate delay they cause to the teacher in every New Year and this again is to deduct part of his salary.
Poor teachers! It is indeed a very tough situation.
But still, I lately learned that the situation is getting better thanks to some officials who took heed of what is happening there.
You have said it at the end of your article “the change is coming, but very slow.” I would like to add two sentences to your viewpoint. I wonder if the day on which all of these bad practices will be uprooted will ever come. Only time could tell.
Tom N. Soliman
[email protected]

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