Three faces of a state waging war on society [Archives:2008/1126/Opinion]
Abu Bakr Al-Saqqaf
Despite differences of historians, sociologists and legislators over the numerous details of the state's structure, they seem to unanimously agree that our state is an oppressive body, employed to serve the interests of a particular social class and abandon others. Max Fiber, one of those great men, states that one of the state's most important jobs is the exclusive usage of force to keep social peace, however, all of them confirm that such doesn't require all the state's jobs.
A state must not organize social work and solidarity between members and institutions within the society. With the emergence of modern democratic states, our state has become unable to reproduce itself or update its structure. Then, any conflict taking place among components of the state doesn't seem to threaten its unity, and therefore it may be clear-cut evidence of its recovery and development.
In case of having such components and conditions selected, as the case of our Arab states, the borrowed outer decoration contravenes the essence of the modern state's components. The behavior demonstrated by our government implies that it is not a state for its people, therefore it wages a war on them. Instead of organizing its people and addressing their issues and concerns, the Yemeni authority turns to wage a war against them, thereby stereotyping itself as 'a state of sustainable wars'. The government mostly depends on power and forgets about other things, essential to its establishment and survival.
Via its unusual policies, the Yemeni government confirms that force and war are the only means for its statesmen to exercise property theft, rob the national resources and make money illegally. As a result, the state's strategy for using force and waging wars appears to have an obvious economic job.
Sa'ada, South Yemen and Shara'ab are three faces for this state. The powerful centers of this state exerted joint efforts in machinating and waging the Sa'ada war, which has been so far accompanied by a media war over ideology of some members of the Yemeni society. The state harassed several individuals over their affiliation and loyalty with the Zaidi sect, however, some of the sect loyalists did not commit any sin to deserve such torments.
In Shara'ab, the state harshly reacted to the strategies, adopted by many locals to defend themselves, protect their human dignity and advocate peaceful living under social justice, with an unprecedented use of power and excessive deployment of troops. It combined the military and security forces together against innocent women and children.
Two weeks ago, at least two people have been reportedly killed and seven others injured in the Hashimi Square of Aden city. Such an incident is clear-cut evidence of continuant bloodshed that first began in 1994 at the Square of Liberty in the city.
All the Yemeni citizens living in the south parts of the country, except for those who are loyal with the government, have undertaken not to halt the peaceful struggle until they obtain all their constitutional and legal rights. According to the Yemeni southerners, the government has been losing its legitimacy since the 1994 Civil War.
All the wars so far experienced in Yemen reflected the state's unfamiliar hatred and animosity toward its citizens, notably in the most recent Sa'ada war when the government resorted to seek the support of influential tribesmen in its arbitrary assaults on the restive governorate's residents over allegedly being loyal with Al-Houthi-led rebellion.
Source: Al-Ishteraki.net
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