‘New Yemen’ and black goggles [Archives:2008/1128/Opinion]
Abu Ayman
At the very beginning, I would like to say that I am not a political analyst or an economic expert, nor can I interfere in politics in one way or another. But being a Yemeni citizen residing abroad, I share the same feelings of my brothers and cousins inside my homeland. I usually ask myself, “Are we, the Yemeni people, doomed to suffer for lifetime? If yes, why?”
I came to Yemen and didn't wear black goggles. Instead I wore medical glasses due to my nearsightedness in order to see things in their real sizes. But what did I see? Frankly, speaking, I saw kind and forgiving people to the extent that any one of them can slaughter a bull in order to be exempted from blood money or a death sentence for a willful or an intentional killing he committed. I saw people who willingly accept the lowest share of things and eat from the waste bins. I saw people damning and cursing their government during daytime and overnight, particularly after their rights were abused due to their government's poor policies. I questioned, “Is this 'the New Yemen'?”
If this is 'the New Yemen', we then prefer to have the old Yemen during which our forefathers and ancestors lived without any concerns or fears from political or national security, or influential persons. We want to see the kind of Yemen that used to punish any soldiers for the irresponsible use of ammunition given to them.
In the “New Yemen”, we usually find that weapons are robbed from government stores and sold to citizens while the relevant agencies show no reaction to what happens. However, I advise those, who claim that we should not wear black goggles, to bear in mind that it is the black goggles that harbored them and covered their faults. I also tell them to recommend citizens to wear black goggles in order for them not to see a policeman insulting a citizen. Additionally, citizens can wear black goggles in order for them not to see cars of influential persons racing with the wind in the streets without any obedience to traffic laws and regulations, or respect for pedestrians walking in the streets.
The government and its agencies are recommended to advise people to wear black goggles in order not to see influential persons looting public property and selling them to other people. When citizens wear black goggles, they will not see homeless children in streets as a result of poverty and destitution. Black goggles may help prevent citizens from seeing a tribal sheikh insulting citizens and women being bought and sold in markets. When citizens wear black glasses, they can not see where public money goes. Citizens with black goggles will be blinded against all the violations practiced in their homeland and against their rights and dignity.
Wearing black goggles, citizens can not see physicians working for one hour in government hospitals, and 23 hours in their private clinics, nor can they see that drugs and medical equipment imported by the Ministry of Public Health and Population are sold in private pharmacies. Only these goggles can help blur citizens' vision in order not to see traffic men extorting people and taking bribes from them.
I left my homeland during the time of prosperity and bless when a US dollar was priced at 3.5 Yemeni Riyals. So how surprising it will be when we compare that price to YR 199.5 per one U.S. dollar for the time being. Patients used to stay in hospitals for years eating and receiving medical treatment and medicine for free, but now patients pay a lot of money for ineffective treatment in hospitals administered by irresponsible and unqualified men who have no clear conscience. Such things and the likes are the achievements so far made nationwide, thereby forcing the government release the slogan of “New Yemen”.
The author is a Yemeni expatriate in the United Arab Emirates.
Source: Al-Wahdawi.net
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