Parliament & Ja’ashin Plight: Holing Irresponsibility Accountable [Archives:2007/1038/Opinion]

By: Mohammed Al-Qadhi
At last, the parliament could hit the nil on the head and come up with a very good fact-finding report on the plight of the al-Ja'ashin area in Ibb governorate. The area has been suffering at the hands of the oppressive influential council member Mohammed Ahmed Mansur.

The parliament report has caused controversy over the last few weeks, and some influential figures at parliament wanted to bury its clear condemnation of Mansur's oppressive acts against his people. The report called for the firing of the Ibb governor who with Mansour, helped in the eviction and intimidation of more than 400 families in the Al-Ja'ashin district.

The parliament did a good job when it ordered the interior ministry, which has become very idle, to act swiftly to address the question of private jails that shame the history of modern Yemen. It is disgusting that in the 21st century some influential figures still have their own private jails, and it is also a clear infringement on the law and constitution.

The governor and local authority members of Ibb, as the parliament report pinpointed, should be held accountable for their failure to address the dilemma of the al-Ja'ashin people, being lenient with the influential Sheikh. Not only had they kept silent, they even stood by the oppressor and tried to justify his acts, for they considered the protest from the people of al-Ja'ashin in Sana'a a sort of politically motivated showdown.

Last Thursday, I read at the al-Motamar website that the governor of Ibb Ali al-Qaisi ordered that water supply to al-Ja'ashin which has been disrupted by Mansur to be returned. The man took this action just after the parliament report condemned his silence over the problem of al-Ja'ashin people. He previously said he knew about their problem just from the media and that no complaints have been addressed to him. Wow! Now, he knows and he admits that there is a problem. This is really ridiculous and he should be held accountable for these acts of irresponsibility. In fact, if our parliament functions as it should, a lot of mistakes and wrongdoings will be addressed.

Mohammed Al-Qadhi ([email protected]) is a Yemeni journalist and columnist.
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