Saying goodbye to 2004, welcoming 2005We have not seen satisfactory reforms [Archives:2004/802/Opinion]

By Prof. Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Tarb
For the Yemen Times
A few days before we say goodbye to an entire year loaded with cares, blood, tears and crises, limited to a great extent in the Arab region, invariably surging to cover neighboring areas most of which belong to the Islamic world.

Every day of 2004 related the Arab nation's miserable story and saw the tribulations, devastation of its infrastructure, and deaths of its people. Every week was virtually a week of pains and sorrows. 2004, thus, deserves to be called the year of blood, and destruction from Iraq to Palestine inclusive of other Arab and Islamic spots.

This is no wailing, and is no contribution to self-beating but it is a notice of a pitiful reality and painful presence. It is a call to rise up and take actions before it is too late so that we do not waste our time repeating the same phrases at the end of each year. We should remember the value of the wasted time and the importance of every minute in the lives of people particularly the developing ones which are straggling behind in terms of civilization, knowledge, freedom and democracy.

If we calculate what happened in the previous year 2004, we will realize the losses of the nation in its capabilities, dignity, and members.

This is why 2004 is deservedly labeled the year of blood, and devastation.

We lost Sheik Zayed bin Sultan, the wise man of the nation, president of the UAE and lost the leader and symbol of the Palestinian Cause Yasser Arafat, and locally there is the loss of Sheikh Mujahed Abu Shawareb.

Therefore, the every Arab and Muslim has today a great responsibility and the duties of leaderships are greater. The leaders have decisive roles and have to peruse the ongoing developments and make changes and reforms from the inside and allow all people to participate in the process of change, modernization and democratization.

The Sudan is living nowadays hard times. It is suffering foreign interference and substantial threats from unrest in Darfur, South, and internal conflicts as well as increasing break-up of parties and active forces. There is unfortunately unawareness of the seriousness of the situation and leaders in both government and opposition have lost bearings for the shore of safety.

The same applies to Syria and Lebanon after the last UN Security Council's resolution because external forces want to interfere on the pretext of human rights, and freedom of practicing democracy.

In Yemen, we have concern after the confidence crisis between the government and the opposition in the wake of Saadah insurgency, trials of the press, and imprisonment of journalists despite the President's directives for not to harass pressmen.

All this arouses question as we are conducting the census to fight corruption and establish the modern state, which needs the efforts of both state and opposition to push forward the issues of development and advancement.

While bidding farewell to 2004, we should indicate a positive station in the Arab Gulf, that is, the UAE where the transfer of power went on so smoothly and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed took the office as president after the builder of the Union and captain of the ship of development and national unity Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan. Hence, sorrow has turned into happiness and fear of the future into contentment.

Today we are in need for unity and preclusion of reasons, excuses, and pretexts of the new world system's decision-makers. We should open door to dialogue with all parties without exception and get rid of mischievous exclusion policy from all Arab and Islamic countries.

Finally, I say no right is lost if it is sought. We will see elections in Palestine and incomplete elections in Iraq. President Mubarak will get a new term and Bajammal's government will have served for two years.

We want to live 2005 within palpable changes and noticeable stability based on reform, challenge, and quite development far from outside threats and those of the future forum. The challenges of change require the participation of all. The fact that should be always remembered is that reforms are linked to democracy and modernization.
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