Who machinates apostasy? [Archives:2007/1090/Opinion]
Tawakul Karaman
The national unity is nothing more than a slogan in the sense of loyal affiliation to homeland. If feelings of the unified identity begins to vanish, this means that the national unity is on the way to vanish too. With the sunset of July 7, the feeling of unified identity has disappeared while the seasons of psychological apostasy and secession emerged, and what happened after that is nothing more than futile details.
Today, the regime is experiencing the final season on the way to unprecedented collapse, as the President could skillfully gather all the opponents against his rule. A few years ago, the President and his henchmen viewed the coalition of Islah and Yemeni Socialist parties as a joke, saying that Islah Party might have converted from Islam or YSP might have embraced Islam.
Leaders and members of the Islah Party and their allies in the Joint Meeting Parties needn't explain how they moved toward such a strategic coalition that reached a maximum limit of identification. Do you think that the jurisprudence of the President and his henchmen views any humiliation machinated against junior and senior opposition members as a reaction to this identification?
The opposition should understand that such machinated humiliation compelled citizens and prominent leaders of the southern governorates to form a unified front against him and his retinue. The consequences of this humiliation may damage national unity, particularly as the problem gets more complicated. We are sure that President and his henchmen will not be part of the solution to this problem, and this is why we say that they have nothing to do in order to calm the inflammatory situation.
The regime repairs the outworn with the outdated. This is what we can say as we see that he forms consecutive committees to resolve a persisting problem, which all the state's institutions collectively failed to resolve. For instance, the most recent committee, which the President formed under the chairmanship of Salem Saleh, was required to repair any damage left by opportunists on national unity. Also, the committee was required to replace the opposition and any other forces having effective presence in the homeland, including the Yemeni Socialist Party and the retirees' society. We have been bearing in mind that this committee would pour more oil on the inflaming situation, and it is impossible to be an alternative to YSP or other effective organizations.
A few days ago, we heard about a republican decree appointing Shumailah and Shamlan governors for Shabwa and Abyan respectively. This decree involves an additional insult since we understand well that citizens of these governorates are no longer able to tolerate the two newly appointed officials because of current conditions. Why have citizens of both governorates not said to the president that local governance with all its powers is the front valve of unity? They would have rather said that those who exclusively appoint servants from Sana'a and nearby areas as chiefs of security departments, district directors and governors in the south, are responsible for damaging national unity.
Citizens of Shabwa and Abyan should have told President the Saleh that application of the Document of Pledge and Accord and any previously reached agreements and conventions is the only thing that can strengthen national unity. Also, the use of force and the unfair security measures that may lead to bloodshed are impossible to strengthen the cause.
National unity is based on popular satisfaction and feeling of joint interests, but neither is available in the southern areas, and therefore, there is a growing feeling among people in these areas that unity hasn't achieved its sought goals and they are in fact losers.
There are two options for the regime: local governance with complete powers or national fragmentation. The situation forces us to anticipate unprecedented fragmentation, as well as an inevitable end to the idea of national unity. But the critical question being raised her is that “Are the President and his henchmen wise enough to select the positive option?” I fear the answer may be 'NO'.
Tawakul Karaman is a prominent women journalist and Chairwoman of Women Journalists Without Chains.
Source: Al-Thawri Weekly.
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