The Policy of TAFREEKH Prevails in Yemen: Civil Society’s Struggle Against Domination by Politicians [Archives:1999/09/Law & Diplomacy]
By: Mohammed Bin Sallam,
Yemen Times.
It has become a bad habit. Our ruling politicians are unwilling to allow any semblance of a plural power base in the country. The rulers control most power bases. Those that resist their control, are disrupted, marginalized or even destroyed. This policy has been successfully applied to political parties, newspapers, non-governmental organizations, sports clubs, etc.
The artificial reproduction of political parties, NGOs, newspapers, guilds – planned, financed and executed by the authorities – is a direct result of this policy. Thus, the Arabic word – tafreekh (meaning giving birth in rapid succession) has found a prominent place in the political culture of Yemen.
The continued problems of guilds and unions is also primarily due to this policy and approach by the rulers. The outcome is eternal in-fighting among aspiring members of the said organizations who find in the rulers’ drive to control the organizations an opportunity to promote their own ambitions. The result is a distorted evolution in Yemen’s civil society movement.
The Teachers’ Syndicate is dysfunctional as two or even three organs compete for legitimacy. The medical doctors’ union is not functioning properly because of the same political interference. The lawyers’ bar association suffers from the same disruptive symptoms. The Guild of Engineers has gone through a period of hibernation for the same reasons. The Journalists’ Syndicate is paralyzed because of visible and continued interference by the politicians.
On the 26th of February, 1999, the fight to control the Federation of Yemeni Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FYCCI) took a new twist. Now, there is an open war between businessmen who represent the politicians and the Political Security Office (PSO) on the one hand, and the professional businessmen on the other.
“We are not against the regime or the politicians. We are, in fact, loyal citizens. But we feel that the chamber of commerce and industry should be managed along professional business lines, and not along political lines,” explained Mr. Jamal Al-Mutarreb, one of the young entrepreneurs who is fighting to dislodge the proteges of the politicians inside the FYCCI.
On 26th February, seven elected members of the FYCCI – all of them well-known and highly reputed businessmen, wrote a letter to Mr. Hussain Al-Watari, Chairman of the FYCCI over the last thirty years. He and his assistant, Mr. Sharhan, have the support of the regime and the PSO, and refuse to step down or even reform and re-activate the organization. The chairman even refuses to submit to the elected board of the FYCCI annual financial statements, periodic reports, plans, etc. “In spite of repeated requests over the past several years, you have intentionally refused to provide budgetary reports or statements by chartered accountants since 1990,” the letter states.
Another bone in the dispute is the 0.01% revenue the FYCCI collects on the value of all imports into the country. “We all had agreed, including yourself, to abrogate this levy on imports. But it continues to be levied, and there is no accounting where the money is going,” says the letter addressed to Mr. Al-Watary.
Many businessmen would like to see a new leadership at the FYCCI. “There is a lot of room for activity and interaction. At a time when the state is giving the private sector a more important role to guide our society’s growth, the business community needs to come together and hold up the country’s progress and evolution,” Jamal said.
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