Reform? What reform? [Archives:2003/53/Focus]

BY FAHMI ABDU AHMED NAGI
FOR THE YEMEN TIMES
The word “reform” has been used often by Yemen media and it has become a routine matter to hear such a word. But in the truth of the matter, we find a big gap between what is said about reform and what is done.
There is misconception between what is really meant by the reform and government’s policies and measures to carry it out.
If we take a glance on reform in Yemen we will find that right now what has been done and achieved for the sake of reform constitutes only a fraction of reform that’s wanted and needed. If we take examples from Yemen’s governmental establishments, we find that everything carries on as usual or even gets worst. Nothing is really changed or reformed.
The first example can be seen in the so-called financial and administrative reform. Such an axis of government-reform aims at re-distribution of Yemen’s revenues on its different sectors. It also aims at supervising those who moonlight and so on.
If we look at the validity of such kinds of reform, we discover that nothing has been changed or reformed. It is a dead letter since its day that many high-ranking officials still have more than one job. It is only carried out on those law-paid-ones.
We also discover that a great amount of government revenue is given to those establishments, which do not need it, and others which suffer from shortage of money and facilities are given less. To make it clear, everything carries on as usual, so where is the so-called reform? The financial and administrative reform is only proving to be a nightmare for poor and needy citizens who taste the bitterness and price-excessiveness and doses.
The second example of failed Yemen reform is the so-called social and economic reform, which aims at alleviation of poverty and pauperism among citizens. One of the ways to eradicate poverty and backwardness is to allocate a small salary to poor and needy peoples, but, unfortunately those who deserve it are deprived from it. It’s given to those who dispense with it, that is to say, there is bribery and nepotism.
So where is the reform and reformists? Reform is only a word which is taken as a pretext and excuse to those dishonest officials who do not fear God, to those who do not have a real intention to build a happy Yemen. Without such real intentions of real reform, Yemen will never improve its lot.

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