While demanding political and economic reformsYemeni opposition defends its initiative [Archives:2005/905/Front Page]

SANA'A, Dec. 21 – Representatives of the opposition Joint Meeting Parties fiercely defended yesterday their reform program initiative proposed a few weeks ago, and called upon the ruling party to apply their recommendations.

In a symposium organized by the Yemeni Center for Strategic Studies in Sanaa, opposition leaders said the program was a national initiative aimed at removing the hurdles facing the democratization process in Yemen.

In a speech at the event, Dr. Mohamed Al-Mutwakkil, a prominent official in the opposition Popular Unionist Forces party, said the opposition has the right to propose reform initiatives that are not new to Yemen.

He reviewed the course of reform in the country since the beginning of the 20th century and affirmed that reform has always existed and was even called for during the era of Imam Yahia Hameeduddin before the 1962 revolution.

Al-Mutawakkil said reform calls took various forms during that era, but they were all aiming at resisting the tyrannical monarchy that existed at the time.

He then compared that era with today and defended the opposition's actions in proposing serious reform measures. He then called for their implementation on the ground.

Dr. Ali Al-Wafi of the Islah Party said there are dire needs for financial reforms in Yemen but he emphasized that without political reform, no economic or other type of reform is possible.

He said economic reform would need to be carried out so as to fight poverty, reduce the high rate of unemployment and to promote social justice. “For real partnership with the private sector, reliable legislative bases and an attractive investment policy are also necessary.” he added.

Al-Wafi said priorities also include the improvement of means to draft the annual general budget, set up tender systems and empower the Central Bank of Yemen. “The establishment of an independent monetary system and curbing inflation will also have positive impact,” he claimed.

Another prominent opposition figure, Mr. Mohamed Al-Sabri, the Head of the Political Department of the Popular Nasserite Party slammed the performance of Yemen's foreign policy makers. He noted that Yemen's diplomacy in certain areas, including relations with Gulf countries, has been extremely weak. “This was reflected in the refusal of Yemen to join the Gulf Cooperation Council”, he claimed.

Al-Sabri said the government failed its people in handling its relations with the sole superpower of the world, the United States of America.

He also noted the regime's failure to achieve the minimum financial performance in handling donors' money, costing the country the trust of those donors.

Al-Sabri said donors were disappointed by Yemen's failure to develop foreign resources and investments despite its significant dependence on foreign debts and donations. These weak indicators, according to Al-Sabri, led to the decision by the World Bank to reduce its aid to Yemen in 2006 by 34%.

Apart from reforming foreign policy, the regime's internal communication with its own diplomats has been scoring low too, Al-Sabri noted. He gave the example of the asylum sought in the UK by former Yemeni ambassador to Syria Ahmed Abdullah al-Hassani, who sought asylum in the United Kingdom.

Al-Sabri condemned the regime for accusing the opposition of betraying the country and for suspecting its devotion. “On the other hand, the government itself does not see any wrongdoing in pledging to foreign ambassadors to do fundamental reforms in the country.” he said.

Defense for the opposition's draft came from Dr. Al-Dhahri, a lecturer in political sciences at Sana'a University when he described the initiative as “a precise description of the situation, supported by evidences and indications.”

He did however, criticize the lack of practicalities in the program, which he thought presented an ideal and utopian goal for Yemen without counting the difficulties in reality.

Dr. Al-Dhahiri also criticized the failure of opposition to lead the Yemeni people and present itself as a viable alternative to the regime.

He said opposition parties lacked the means to solve their own problems and are not strong enough to fill the shoes of the ruling party.

He supported this view by noting the inability of the opposition to mobilize its forces when subsidies for oil products were lifted in July, causing massive instantaneous riots, which could have been organized in a peaceful manner if there had been good opposition.

He advised the opposition to adjust its position and improve performance so as to play an active role in Yemen's future.
——
[archive-e:905-v:14-y:2005-d:2005-12-22-p:front]