Nasserites: Ruling Party adopts organized corruption policy [Archives:2005/841/Front Page]

Mohammed bin Sallam
On the occasion of the conclusion of the 1st. normal session of its (CC), Central Committee, held during 5-6 May, the (UPNO), Unionist Popular Nassserite Organization issued a statement lashing out at the ruling party (PGC) and its policies. The UPNO statement said that its CC studied several issues in this session and demanded, “tackling the difficult living conditions, the spread of poverty and misery, and popular anger rising due to the failing policies that the ruling party insists on applying, without any consideration to their dangerous and destructive yields”.

The UPNO statement continued to, “Denounce the obvious deterioration of public services provided and of the national currency, the rises in price of commodities and food, the squandering of public wealth, policies of organized corruption and the limitations of the margin of democracy”.

As to what 'independent and opposition party members are subjected to” the statement continued, “to condemn the activities of crowding, chasing and harassment in the name of restructuring the PGC in order to cover the whole state and nation, which remind of pre-unity policies and slogans of Yemen during conclusive regimes, and reign of the state of the party, and the party of the nation”. The statement called upon the leadership of the ruling PGC to, “stop these dangerous activities which link between the ruling party's membership and loyalty to the homeland, and cause the cleansing of opposition parties' members and nonpartisans from state organs”. It called on other opposition parties to “take a serious position towards these policies and activities which return the homeland to the oppression of the past, and threaten the national identity and stability”.

The statement further called upon Yemeni, pan-Arab and international human rights organizations to “condemn and criminalize these actions which violate the constitution, laws and international pacts of which Yemen is a signatory and should comply with”.

On another domestic issue the statement rejected “the government draft amendments of the Law of the Press and Publications, saying that they, “contradict with the constitution, (the norms of) media traditions, the requirements of technological advancement, and the necessities in a multi-party society and the diversion towards democracy”. The Organization stressed its 'full solidarity' with the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate and its objective arguments and activities against these amendments; as the freedom of the press is 'the foremost move towards democracy, conclusive political and national reform'. The Nasserites expressed their solidarity with other syndicates and unions such as those of doctors and dentists.

The UPNO statement touched upon education saying that it is suffering from “neglect and corruption, threatening the future of coming generations, and national stability and security”. It called for a national conference to discuss the situation of education, and its personnel. It said that “official encouragement, finance of sect education, centers and institutes that nurture fanatics is a crime against the people and the homeland that should never be unspoken of”.

The statement also condemned all “wrong policies which damage the social structure and harmony and the campaign to arrest demonstrators, those who oppose them and those who demanded the release of all those arrested contrary to the law”.

The statement stressed again the right “to demonstrate, and that of merchants to object peacefully against Laws which are an addition to the economic burden to the majority of the population, warned against the consequences of such measures”.

Concluding their statement, the Nasserites saw that “the government is fully responsible for the wrong approaches and trespasses of the central authorities in dealing with social and security issues, and of the deterioration of the situation in Sa'ada” saying that those responsible are the “leaders and decision makers”. They demanded a launching of a “conclusive political and national reform, through a serious and responsible dialogue over the primacies of national issues, so that responsibilities equal the authorities given”.
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