Press Review [Archives:2002/33/Press Review]

Annas weekly, 5 Aug. 2002.
Main Headlines:
– JMP discusses with British, American embassies democracy situation
-Al-Qaeda-linked suspects, still under arrest
-Fact-finding parliamentary committee : Al-Baihani Institute a private-sector, Aden governors stand must be considered seriously
-In Taiz University, students rights under mercy of the military
Columnist Ali Mohammed al-Surari said in his article this week that despite the political bases of the political system stipulated in the constitution, contain the principle of multi-party system aimed at the peaceful transfer of power, the practice on ground testifies that political pluralism influence is rendered inoperative. Consequently political pluralism principle could not be deemed as a constitutional means through which the realization of peaceful transfer could be attained.
The movement concerned with constitutional amendments has missed the chance to effect amending political pluralism principle as one of the political foundations, but with an unintentional mistake, the latest non-democratic amendments of the constitution in the beginning of last year, contained a text that immunized parts of the constitution against amendments unless there is a large majority in the parliament supporting them. It has also subjugated amendment of these parts to results of popular referendum. It could be said that the amendment has placed a new restraint making it difficult to realize the hidden desires to get rid of the principle of political pluralism. Therefore, the authority measures and practices resort to create hemmings in the role and effect of the political parties and besiege them away from the arena of the transfer of power.
Al-Jamaheer weekly,organ of the Arab Baath Socialist party, 4 Aug. 2002.
Main Headlines:
-Due to opposition pressure, Supreme Committee for Elections backs down from its stand towards the political parties
-Canadian ship prevented from entering Yemens regional waters
-Officials under interrogation on Reema money embezzlement
-U.S. State Department warns its nationals against travelling to the Zionist entity
-In Baihan, Gunmen storm Agriculture Bank Branch
-Gang for smuggling children, seized
In his column this week the editor in chief says the electoral systems are a group of measures and legislations and operations connected to each other to perform one function aimed at enabling the people to take part democratically in selection and defining their priorities and policies to follow.
Experiments in this regard could not be copied and applied in a mechanical way to a different place whose constituents are different because that would lead to blind imitation and leap over the movement of reality. Therefore, the electoral system in Yemen has been founded on important factors that led to its success.
First is choosing the type of the system that harmony with nature of reality.
Second is the collective participation in discussing and adjusting it to the national peculiarity.
The third is experimenting it and rectifying its trends according to consequences produced by the reality.
Probably accumulation of the experiment that led to the practice of this regime has formed spacious areas of knowledge and culture by the citizens about constituents of this system. So with this it would be easy to hold elections according to this logic. Thus a return to the zero point could be an action nulling the accumulation built across an eleven- year period. It would also add a new period for experimentation instead of benefiting from it for development and rectification leading to creating political stability.
 

Al-Balagh weekly, 6 Aug. 2002
Main Headlines:
-Scholars, notables of Ibb: Bohra plan for coup against the authority, instate a new state
-Americans fail to kidnap bin Ladens wife
-Head of Auditing and Accounting Central Apparatus discloses officials embezzlement of YR 42 million and $ 21 million
-Dubious visit of British delegation to Baihani Institute
Editor in chief of the newspaper says in his article that regardless of what Baihani institute represents, the important thing about the question of its nationalization is the legal dimensions of that and the degree of Aden governors commitment to the laws and constitution, added to that the conduct of security men towards those whom they accused of distributing a statement issued by the society in defense of the institute.
It has been known that president Ali Abdullah Saleh has given his directives on cancelling all the measures taken against the institute and to keep it as it is a private institute under supervision of the ministry of education as is the case with private schools. Suddenly orders of the president are overlooked and the institute has been nationalized anew. In order not to be unfair towards the governor, what is wanted most is the transparency required from him to explain his behavior and to clarify on what legal or constitutional principle did he depend in ordering the nationalization. The question here is not related to political parties or electoral publicity campaign but rather pertaining to abiding by the law. If the governorate has exceeded its authorities, as is stated in the parliament report, to whom would then the institute would present its compliant?
Al-Wahdawi weekly, organ of the Naserite Peoples Unionist organization, 6 Aug. 2002.
Main Headlines:
-American-Yemeni military operation for hunting down al-Qaeda elements
-Bin Ladens relatives talk about security harassments
-Security detains sheikhs opposed to borders demarcation with Saudi Arabia
-Joint Meeting Parties renew rejection of Supreme Committee proportions
-America tries to fabricate an Iraqi relation to September events
Mr Abdulbari Tahir, editor in chief of al-Hikmah magazine says in his article that Bushs administration America sees the Arab nation through Sharons eyes that waves with war in order to impose the hegemony on the Arab nation. Talking about Yemeni American or even Syrian or Egyptian, apart from this great catastrophe, is an illusion leading to limitless dangers and a stance contradicting national thought or logic.
I think visualizing the Yemeni-American relations is dim. The American have become looking at the world in general and the Arabs in particular through a terrorism binocular and according to the yardstick of their proximity to or distance from Israel. The Arab region, including Yemen, is demanded for embarking on unconditional normalization with Israel. The Arab nation, especially Yemen and Saudi Arabia, are demanded to re-consider their education curricula and preaches at mosques. All are demanded to fight terrorism, a terms that according to the American interpretation means the total and absolute acceptance of Israel and condemnation against anyone points his finger in protest to the occupation of an entire peoples land, to declare an all out war against him, in addition to effacing his religious and national identity.
To mention about the Yemeni American relations without comprehending the absolute American support for Israel occupation, would not pinpoint the nature of this relationship and would not illuminate our future path. Future is mined with Israeli occupation and the new American vision of choosing the Arab rulers despite their peoples will. True, our rulers are dictators, unsuccessful and incapable of action and even hated by their peoples, but it is unacceptable to agree with the imperialist orientations that select to our nation those who would be her sovereigns.
What happens in Palestine and to Yasser Arafat and to Saddam Hussein and Iraq, is one scene of an endless serial and would affect all including Americas allies and subservients. Iraq and Palestine are the introduction and the rehearsal and others turn would follow, if we accept the whole scenario.
Al-Sahwa weekly, 8 Aug. 2002.
Main Headlines:
-Formation of National Security Organization in Yemen, decreed
-Parliament demands serious consideration against Aden governor policy, 100,000 signature protesting that policy
-Residents of Maswar Reema: Government sues victims of killing vaccines
-National Organization for Defending Rights & Freedoms (NODRF) denies news on release of suspects of September events
Mr Mansour Ahmed Baliedi says in an article that local councils have been for long looked as a hope for the Yemeni citizens, particularly downtrodden by poverty and illness, and sway of the influentials. Those citizens have thought that the local councils would work for guaranteeing care rendered for them against their agonies caused by hunger and high costs of living.
The local councils have been unable to wring out their own rights from the state therefore they decided to be in line with it in putting pressure on the poor citizen. As the government imposes doses, the local councils have imposed levying new taxes. Thus, bills of electricity, water and telephone began bearing new taxes in the name of local councils deducted from the citizens daily sustenance.
A question is raised on whether the local councils have become a new burden on the citizens.
Al-Wahda weekly, 7 Aug. 2002.
Main Headlines:
-Judges accused of killing, embezzlement, brought to justice
-Yemen to chair Arab Group to Earth Summit conference
-Islamists variant on halting violence
-Crime rate in Taiz, hikes
-Technical arrangements of border maps to be ratified in September
Under heading contemporary Nero the newspapers editorial says the American Yankees are threatening to attack Iraq and using all options to topple Saddam Hussein. They insist in a very extraordinary manner on ousting Yasser Arafat from leadership of the Palestinian National Authority. They also demand liquidation of Arab organizations resisting the Zionist occupation, such as Hamas, Jihad and Hizbollah. They also waylay Arab and Islamic regimes and leaderships, among them Syria, Libya, Iran and Pakistan and in a hysterical arrogance target Saudi Arabia, alleging that it is a shelter for terror.
Despite all the unsightly scenes of the Zionist military crimes against Palestinian children,women and elderly people, the political arrogance of the American administration increases its indefinite support to the government of Ariel Sharon.
The editorial maintains that this is the real America, regardless of who leads its administration. Americas strategy is to re-colonialize the world under whatever guise. It would never get calm till it manages to re-draw the map of the world in the form that serves achievement of that strategy.

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