On the occasion of issue 1000:A better Yemen remains our mission [Archives:2006/1003/Opinion]
By: Walid Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf
When I looked at the eyes of my employees in the evening of June 2, 1999, I could sense a feeling of anger mixed with anxiety and determination. How couldn't they be feeling that way as they heard the shocking news about the sudden death of the founder and editor-in-chief of Yemen Times in a mysterious traffic accident a few hundred meters away from the premises?
It was a day we believed more than ever in the mission of the newspaper. We believed that Prof. Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf wanted, through the newspaper, to make Yemen a better place, but he fell short of achieving that when he died in his early 50s. The mission was unaccomplished and required more commitment than ever.
And we have continued, since then, to produce the paper every week, and in fact, months later, it started coming twice a week, all with one purpose in mind: to achieve the mission drawn by the founder – make Yemen a better country.
While we celebrate the 1000th issue of the paper, I can only look back to see that we have indeed come a long way from where Al-Saqqaf left us more than seven years ago. But I'm still not satisfied.
We are all not yet satisfied with the level of the newspaper and the pace it is in to achieve its goals. Yet again, one thousand editions is merely the beginning to produce a stronger and more professional independent newspaper that can be more influential.
But to be realistic, one must seriously consider the challenges that lie ahead.
One of the gravest challenges that Yemen Times is facing, and so are all Yemeni private media for that matter, is the continuing repression of journalists and the shrinking margin of press freedom.
The cruel and unjustifiable court sentence issued on Saturday against colleague Kamal Al-Olofi of Al-Rai Al-Aam newspaper is yet another grim reminder of those challenges. Al-Olofi was sentenced to a one-year prison term, a fine, and ban from writing and his newspaper was ordered to be closed down. This comes while many lawsuits against journalists are in Yemeni courts.
Hardships facing private newspapers and journalists go beyond legal cases. The grim reality is that Yemen is heading to catastrophe in terms of economic sustainability. Yemen and a few more countries were listed among those failed states that could, at any time, collapse. Journalists have already been leaving the country seeking better opportunities abroad. The regime has been turning a blind eye to the deliberate intimidation of the opposition press, with little measures taken against violators. It should not be surprising therefore to find journalists seeking asylum in other countries.
All of these developments suggest the country must head in a new direction. Yemen Times, along with other responsible media outlets must push to that direction. The press has always been seen as a watchdog and a defender of people's rights to live with dignity, health, and hope for a better future.
During his presidential campaign Saleh had a very long list of promises to the people. Yemen Times will have to do more investigative stories that focus on the president's performance in implementing his own program and hold him accountable on behalf of the people. And I believe this is what it will be doing.
This will be a tribute to Yemeni citizens, all the loyal readers and parties involved in the production and sustainability of the newspaper.
The Times will work to play its noble role in making Yemen a better country. It is the role set by its founder more than 15 years ago when he said, “We use the Yemen Times to make Yemen a good world citizen.”
Together we shall make this part of our mission and rise to the occasion.
Walid Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf is the eldest son of Dr. Al-Saqqaf, founder of the Yemen Times. He is a Yemeni journalist and was Editor-in-Chief of the Yemen Times previously.
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