When Corruption Invades Our Lives! [Archives:1999/20/Reportage]

Introduction 
Since administrative corruption has invaded all sectors of the Yemeni state, it has become difficult to deal with these sectors unless one is an influential person. Corrupt behavior involves innovative illegitimate and unlawful vehicles like bribery, nepotism, and favoritism – the so-called wasta in Arabic, in the business of government. These vehicles facilitate the accomplishment of certain bureaucratic tasks for a certain people. Often, these tasks are illegal or by-pass the rights of others. Not all people can get such facilities, as they are limited either to those who pay, or to those who have influence or power. 
In our area of the Hadrahmaut, we are not used to such practices. It takes us a long time to adjust to unfamiliar and illegal behavior. The inhabitants of my district have skeptical attitudes towards crooked behavior, even if it is presented as useful to them. 
This is what happened recently as the people of Mukalla could not play along in procurement arrangements. For example, up to now there are no computer or even fax machines in government offices that would have served the people and save time and reduce bureaucratic measures. In the same way, any procurement takes a long time – maybe double the time it takes in other districts. 
A long time ago, if you had any paperwork to complete in any administration, one faced a highly bureaucratic system which demanded that you fill up all sorts of information. But today, our government administration is in the formative stages of an epidemic of “administrative corruption”. Work is in full swing to install the requirements of this set-up that serves only the people in charge. 
There are additional requirements to get the job done. Flattery, hypocrisy and other twisted mouth-service is fast becoming our religion. It is also clear that the top people in charge of the country do not control the lower bureaucrats. 
Here I will give examples of the problems we have to put up with. 
Disadvantages of Favoritism 
The features of favoritism that are biased towards a few people and against many people. This implies a prejudice against the majority and in favor of a minority. Absolutely, the judgment of majority is always correct. Moreover, as you know the purpose of it is to upgrade and prefer the favorite person to get the priority and privilege in the intended direction. Unfortunately, some of our people in charge want to help their relatives and influential persons but they have gotten adverse reactions. In this state our folklore proverb attested “He wanted to kiss her, but he lost her eye.” In this respect I have two short episodes about this stupid partiality. 
In the hospital 
The waiting-room was crowded with patients waiting their turn to meet the doctor. Suddenly, an influential man came, and he said “Oh! It is impossible to wait among these people,” just made a gesture to the doctor, the doctor informed the receptionist to permit to him to come in. The doctor stood up, I don’t know whether it was because of his position or for his filled-pocket. Then he explained his malady to the doctor and wanted to get a fast and effective cure. The doctor wrote a prescription with many pills and dosages. The ordinary man stayed on the bench waiting his turn and got a simple prescription written quickly. Who is the profitable one, the ordinary or the influential? Of course the ordinary. The mixed and stuffed prescription has an effect on the influential man. Both the doctor and his friend forgot the ability of Allah. 
In the Education Office 
The people in charge of it, especially in our district, don’t appreciate the circumstances whatever the conditions. Each year they change and substitute the teachers in every school. Not all the teachers are liable to these alterations. Since I was employed as a teacher my annual substitution was in a remote village and the influential ones remain in the same school of their towns. This year, I went to my school. The boys are few in each class and my proportion of periods are few as well. My influential peer in the nearby school is bothered by the over-crowded classes and over-load of periods. Adding insult to the injury, he is responsible for some of the activities within the school. 
Conclusion 
We are looking forward to a program of administrative reform to cover all the districts of our governorates of Yemen and to reach to ours as soon as possible. I would like to have decisive devices to eradicate every corrupt member immediately. I call on the good people to pave the way for this program to perform its mission in its entire form. We don’t want . . . 
* Our public interest violated on the account of the private interest 
* To quote an Egyptian proverb; “If you have a pound, you equal a pound, have not, you are dud. We want to hear “the right man in the right place.” 
* To carry a filled envelop to a greases palm. We want justified and hard circumstances to be under consideration 
* To disfigure the picture of Yemen we want to gain more testimonies of world organizations. 
Mohammed Ali Basaif 
Hadrahmaut
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