Why do they want a dialogue? [Archives:2007/1106/Opinion]
Nabeel Al-Sofi
First of all, I disagree with those who criticize the commencement of dialogue between political parties represented in Parliament. The growing state of isolation, which began in the wake of 1994 Civil War and reached our political sessions and democratic means, must be stopped as soon as possible.
We are in an urgent need for a political dialogue. We need to learn via the different media that Secretary General of Islah Party met with Chairman of the General People Congress and that Head of Political Circle at Yemeni Socialist Party engaged in a discussion with GPC Secretary-General and so on, in order for the one-side alignments to be reduced. These alignments pose a greater threat to us because we have no forces to protect us nor do we have institutions to fulfill our needs. Such meetings will necessarily oblige party leaders to deal with their counterparts without any ideological expressions, reminding us of the pre-unity statements when each party was insisting to stay alone in the political arena while other parties were looked at as merely a target to be removed from the political life.
If we returned to analyze parties' speeches during the past two years, we would find that Joint Meeting Parties are realized as an evil by the GPC national pact while GPC is seen as merely a group of thieves and bandits among supporters of the Nasserite Party. This phenomenon will ultimately lead to a sharp social catastrophe, while elimination and counter-elimination, which is taking place over southernism and northernism, is one of the results of such a phenomenon.
While Abdulqader Bajammal, GPC Secretary-General and Abdulwahab Al-Anisi, Islah Party Secretary-General, were listening to Abu Bakr BaDhaib, YSP Assistant Secretary-General, who was talking about demands of the current stage, giving dialogue values precedence over other issues, Abdulkarim Sha'ye and Ansaf Mayo were assembling behind walls of a small hall for the elections of Doctors Syndicate branch. No one dares say that such positions and conducts have something to do with democracy development.
In the meantime, the civil service and health offices in Taiz were punishing 19 employees, most of who affiliate with the Islah Party, under baseless pretexts, symptomatic of the political trickiness that helps embody conflicts and discourage dialogues.
While the dialogue was concentrating on Yemen's future, a mother in the Labor Island, a youngster in Al-Aidarous people, a girl in Abyan Coast and a child in Aden's Mualla district were discussing their present conditions. If there is a will to elevate the values of dialogue instead of conflicts, discussions in lieu of bullets, listening to the other instead of exchanging eliminations and protecting the national unity via protecting its democratic reform project, the political parties, mainly GPC, must have the dialogue tangible and positive in the eyes of people. And, being held in Aden, the dialogue should have this governorate, which has never experienced rest or comfort since the Independence Day, its primary target.
Why the GPC and JMP branches in Aden don't hold dialogues aimed at restoring happiness to the sad face of the city, threatened by the waves of hatred, which the conflicting factions trigger against each other. It is this city that welcomed the different religions, races and occupations, as well as the social and moral characteristics.
A dialogue that doesn't aim to divide the nation since it is held between citizens belonging to different political parties and organizations. Obtaining the majority of Aden votes in the local and parliamentary, GPC has to understand and consider the needs of Aden citizens irrespective of their political affiliations. It should then discuss the problems of politicians who differ with one another, land disputes, water shortage and human rights abuses that are usually committed by those who won the 1994 Civil War.
It is this kind of dialogue that can ensure protecting Aden city from the consequences of regional and factional conflicts. Otherwise, the dialoguing parties will find themselves face to face with a new type of destructive conflicts.
Source: Al-Wasat Comprehensive Political Weekly.
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