The future is at stake [Archives:2007/1023/Opinion]
If you don't succeed at first, try again and again and again ad infinitum. That seems to be the logic that motivates the thinking of our indefatigable warlords. The latter continue to think that the meager resources of Yemen are only geared for financing their misguided bloody and destructive adventures against their very own citizens. Really now, the people of Sa'ada do deserve better treatment. For years, since the coming of the Republic, the people of Sa'ada have suffered from deprivation and almost total neglect. In fact, one can even say that the only serious concern for the health of the people of this proud province was the kind donation of the Al-Salam Hospital provided by the generosity of the Government of Saudi Arabia!
Sometime back in the late 1980's, one recalls a big headline which said that the Government is allocating YR 500 million (then at the rate of US $ 1 = YR 18) to the electrification of the Northern Province of Sa'ada. That literally never saw the light! In the meantime, it was thought that the “Faithful Youth” of Hussein Al-Houthi would present a balancing force against extremist Moslems that were then gaining ground in many of the remote corners of Yemen. That was fine at the time (prior to the Civil War of 1994 and the changing political tides that evolved after that). In fact, the idea proved to be indeed a viable government enterprise, as the Faithful Youth proved successful in preventing the spread of Salafi extremism in the Province of Sa'ada and elsewhere in Yemen. However, success in Yemen is always treated with suspicion, especially by those who rise to power driven by selfish motives and narrow interests or those who thrive on the wreckage of war and corpses of helpless citizens. These victims are those who may be caught in the crossfire of government forces and its changing line-up of antagonists, as the interests of the warlords would dictate, or those who are turned into concocted enemies, with a view towards presenting an image of the government that it is on the ball in the theatrical “war on terror' that has brought havoc everywhere in the world. It is just one of the many offshoots promulgated by the alliance of the international Zionist establishment and the neo-cons backed by the American Military – Industrial Complex.
In Sa'ada, it is now back to the endless cycles of ultimatums and stubborn resistance by the Houthis, which is probably welcomed by the very forces that are out to “destroy the Houthis.” For the latter it seems that the longer the fighting takes place, the larger the profits they reap. Needless to say, the more suffering that is inflicted on the helpless people of Sa'ada Governorate.
The observer is inclined to believe that the President is obligated to insure the safety of all the people of Yemen and the people of Sa'ada are no less deserving than any of the other citizens of Yemen. This is especially so, when considering that in all likelihood the Houthis sought to avoid any hassles that would intimidate the sleazy warlords to get the artillery drumming again. Moreover, some of the most dutiful support for the President in the last elections came from the Province of Sa'ada, when considered on a pro rata basis. Thus, this observer and many of the colleagues in the free and independent press urge the President to halt the undue continuous punishment of the people of Sa'ada for being honorable citizens and steadfast in their faith that the President would not hesitate in coming to their rescue. After all, they do represent the strategic defense of the country along the Northern border and have shown time and again, that their loyalty to Yemen and the President of Yemen is unshakable, notwithstanding all the efforts of the Salafis and the bloodsucking warlords to show otherwise.
Hassan Al-Haifi has been a Yemeni political economist and journalist for more than 20 years.
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[archive-e:1023-v:14-y:2007-d:2007-02-08-p:opinion]
