Public wrath and saving face value [Archives:2006/923/Viewpoint]

Editor
While the world today sits on a timed bomb, the Yemeni people are increasingly becoming aware of the uncertainty of life. The turbulences our world today is going through reminds me of what I have read about the first and second world wars. Only today, it is the public who will pull the trigger and not politicians. Governments have no longer been able to maintain their control over what is going on around the world. And it seems that masses are starting to take matters into their own hands rather than just wait for a new strategy, a new government policy or coming elections.

I am saying this because of the various reactions among the Yemeni people and local media regarding the recent changes in the government. Mistrust is the most common attitude and intellectuals have already jumped into the conclusion that this is just a show to save face value and buy time from the people until the presidential elections. Speculations are that this new structure will not last beyond the elections in September, when the actual change – if at all – will be decided through the ballot boxes. However, considering that there are fifteen brand new names in the composed government is worth appreciating. Moreover, replacing the minister of finance who has been there almost as long as the president himself is an achievement on its own.

What would have happened had these significant changes not taken place today? A high level friend at the ministry of interior explained that the Yemeni people are on the verge of breaking down and if it were not for the hope for political change things would have turned ugly. Apparently the Yemeni people still have some hope for political change whether through new policies of the government, or through local council, parliamentarian and presidential elections. Today, Yemen is going through an unannounced price hike. The prices of basic commodities have doubled and the cost of living has deteriorated awfully. Despite all this, and despite the doubtful sniggers by many local political observers it seems that many of the Yemeni people are still hoping against hope that the government lead by President Ali Abdullah Saleh would stop letting them down. Change is hope, whether it is just to save face value or a real attempt for reform, and any change is welcomed. Yet, if the new government turns out to be just a waste of time I fear that the people would react differently, perhaps violently. As they say, when you have nothing to lose, then you have nothing to lose.
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