The real challenge [Archives:2006/927/Opinion]
Abdulbari Tahir
Whoever believes that military confrontations, tribal insurgencies and clashes, incidents of kidnapping and revenge constitute the real danger to the state is doomed to have committed a mistake.
We never lessen the danger of such challenges nor do we underestimate concerned parties' indifference to deal with such crimes. But when the state feels the seriousness of the risk and exacerbation of armed challenge, it then uses power, which is the basis of its legislation and its area of superiority over society.
No one can deny that confrontation with a society or an illiterate and armed environment having visible and invisible relations with the government is difficult and critical. But the survival instinct forces the government to show the sword in such conditions. What occurred over the past few weeks in Shabwa, Khawlan and Marib confirms the state's superiority in the ground of seemingly sustainable battle in Yemen.
The government faces two real challenges: corruption, spreading like cancer in governmental bodies and totalitarianism, functioning as fertile land for corruption's spread.
State power is manifested not only by arms possession; rather, it is reflected in its ability and mastery in arms use for definite purposes. Real power currently stems from the state's strong economy, soundness of its public policies, transparency of its procedures and renewable legitimacy of governance coming from citizens' free will.
Historically, the deadly mistake of Yemenis is their acceleration to resolve conflicts by using arms. Disputes within the same family over inheritance or any other futile quarrels lead to using weapons. Tribal conflicts usually are settled by killing and society's demands lead to arms-bearing, kidnapping tourists and practicing other highway acts. The state already has inherited such an epidemic from society and its memory, filled with violence and an interest in killing. Redesigning this epidemic and re-exporting it to an outraged society is merely the state's action.
Rebelling against the government can be compared to fighting with a lion in his den. Rebellion is an Islamic term used in abundance by Yemen's Zaidi Imamate during fighting with the tyrant ruler but not the atheist, as Sunna people believe. Battling governance in Yemen is a peaceful and democratic struggle, which also is the disliked machine gun that cannot be used and therefore causes fear. The state may resort to war and fomenting local sedition in an attempt to evade democratic demands, calls for freedom, peaceful transfer of power and respecting human rights, as happened in 1994 and the Sa'ada wars.
Well-versed politician Ahmad Al-Rubee was smart when he indicated at his participation before the ruling General People's Congress that corruption is government's and the ruling party's real enemy. Corruption is the legitimate child of oppression. Corruption is the termite gnawing the government. In the shadow of world democracies, the immature state of Yemen, which, according to news, topped the list of third world democratic countries, also topped the list of failing countries characterized by oppression of freedoms and practice of corruption.
Tribal rebellions, kidnapping of foreigners and highway acts imply failure of development programs, absence of national integration and updating, as well as tribal influence on urbanization. Opposition parties' failure to make contacts with tribesmen, show them their political programs and increase their awareness of manners and means of democratic struggle is a real challenge facing the opposition and the government as well.
The Yemeni opposition's struggle appears to be manifested by the elite. Due to the totalitarian regime and its overwhelming majority, the party-affiliated and independent press are deprived of being written and read, with most press products unable to reach the readership. Considered Yemen's largest newspaper, Al-Ayyam prints only 30,000 copies while the state monopolizes audio and visual media.
We fear that corruption has become a norm and the possibility of reforming the regime from within has vanished. Rampant corruption opens the door to endless military confrontations and invisible media of traditional arbitration, as well as forcible disappearance of reform advocacies and civil opposition.
The state seems to have a great tendency of tightening the noose around the democratic margin and burying alive freedom of opinion and expression. It perceives freedom of opinion and self-expression as the real enemy of corruption and oppression; and, for that, it deliberately shows itself as a “police state,” cracking down on political opposition and considering power its sole option in dealing with any opposition calls for reform.
The public has no alternative but to recommend and support voices of civil protest, as well as confront the armed beast of corruption in a never-ending way.
Abdulbari Taher is a Yemeni Journalist and the former chairman of Yemeni Journalists Syndicate
——
[archive-e:927-v:14-y:2006-d:2006-03-09-p:opinion]
