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The Ideals and the Frustrations COMMON SENSE By: Hassan Al-Haifi Much of the literature that has come out on the Yemeni patriotic movement has been interesting, but mostly an indication of the biographical roles that its authors have played in the development of the Yemeni patriotic movement. Yet, it should be noted that there is still much that needs to be evaluated in terms of the idealism, and the difficulties that those with truly sincere ideals faced in making the patriotic movement bear fruit in the wake of the overthrow of the archaic royal dynasty that had ruled Yemen from the later part of the 19th Century to the fateful day of 26 September 1962. For sure, Yemen was opting for a dramatic historical change and for sure the people who were seriously opting for that change saw in the Revolution their chance for bringing Yemen into the fold of modern nations. Yet almost from the start the ideals that were fostered by many of the leaders of the patriotic movement in Yemen met with severe obstacles, from foreign intervention to steadfastness of the military and tribal orders that prevailed and established a strong hold on the course of events since the Revolution. While it should not be expected that the Revolution can do away with a lot of the obstacles that hinder Yemen’s potential for rapid progress and proper utilization of its available resources, it goes without saying that people who sincerely saw in the Yemeni Revolution a chance to introduce a model for other Arab nations to follow, were beset with frustrating obstacles that could not be overcome despite all the sacrifices in lives and time to try to instill these ideals within the Yemeni political process. This can be clearly envisaged by one of the most outspoken characterizations of the Yemeni patriotic movements, recently published by one of its most outstanding figures, whose role in upholding the Republican regime and defending the national sovereignty of Yemen can never be disputed by anyone, who is well in tune with the political developments in Yemen, and who took part in almost all phases of the Republican regime, holding the position of Prime Minister (and Foreign Minister, as well as Ambassador) on several occasions over the past 38 years of the life of the Republic. In trying to present a literary critical assessment of the latest book on the national patriotic movement, written by His Excellency Mr. Muhsin Al-Ainy, aptly titled: “My Story in the Construction of the Modern Yemen”, one is at last provided with a sincere account of not just apolitical biography of a man endowed with courage, ideals and a sincere patriotic conceptual understanding of the overall aspirations that should be associated with any patriotic drive to bring Yemen into the fold of modern progressive nations, not for the sake of Yemen and Yemenis alone, but in keeping with the overall aspirations of the Arab nationalistic movement as a whole. In other words, Mr. Al-Ainy really felt that Yemen, despite its backwardness, poor natural and material resources, had the latent abilities to present a true model of an Arab democratic and pluralistic society that would provide the impetus for rapid political, economic and social development, without all the headaches that were needlessly faced, due to the vested interests that had developed over the years by sponsors and proponents of political and economic interests that became implanted in the establishment, whose influence stood against all the efforts to realize such aspirations, mistakenly thinking that their interests were endangered by the application of the ideals fostered by Mr. Al-Ainy and many of those who shared his ideals and aspirations. It is clear from this candid insight, into the political metamorphosis of the Yemeni Revolutionary effort, that much work is needed to educate, not just the general population as to the modern approach towards political activism, but also those who stand to hold the reigns of power, or who stand at the helms that guide political activities in the country. There is much that can be quoted from this very useful book on the history of the political developments in Yemen, provided by Mr. Al-Ainy, in details, which show, not only the sincere views of one of the important brokers and instigators of much that has brought Yemen into the stream of aspiring developing nations, but that would have to await for the permission of the author. However, it can be said that Mr. Al-Ainy had produced one of the most moving and inspirational account to date of these developments, notwithstanding the personal autobiographical inputs, which are of course understandable, since Mr. Al-Ainy does indeed represent a leading character, whose role and frustrations speak a lot of the underlying themes that reflect the real hopes and dreams of the Yemeni nationalist movement, without being bogged down in self acclaim or desire to play down the roles of others – a common trait of many of the biographical accounts that this and many observers have come into contact with in other similar memoirs. This is not to say that Mr. Al-Ainy has produced the only perfect account of events as they occurred over all these years, but rather, his account gives greater insight into the obvious intricacies and complications of putting ideals into a reality that internally and externally works diligently to put all those ideals out of tune with the actuality prevailing domestically, regionally and internationally. On the other hand, Mr. Al-Ainy’s accounts of his many journeys throughout the world clearly display the ability of the man as a statesman and his ability to analyze world leaders from their role in international affairs and in the development of their own peoples. In addition, these journeys provided the highly intelligent Mr. Al-Ainy with solid grounds for the introduction of many development concepts, which he found could be applicable to Yemen, bearing in mind the geographical, historical and social factors that were similar to those in Yemen. Mr. Al-Ainy also had good foresight to make use of international developments in a manner that would serve the national interests of Yemen, without getting bogged down in the political demagoguery and political opportunism that many leaders of developing countries tend to be swayed by, forgetting the practical implications that could be of benefit accordingly. It was truly refreshing to come across the latest work of Mr. Al-Ainy, who is now Vice Chairman of the Advisory Council, and for sure, Mr. Al-Ainy’s effort will become a good example of the kind of memoirs people like to read, because one sees in them the kind of aspirations and dreams that all sincere patriotic Yemenis and Arabs really strive for, without desiring any political or personal gains for themselves, but rather to show what political life should really be all about. We hope Mr. Al-Ainy’s book will instigate a more sincere self-assessment of the political developments in Yemen by all those involved. Happy holidays to Mr. Al-Ainy and to all those who understand and share his patriotic and political aspirations in Yemen and the rest of the Arab World. By: Shaker Al-Ashwal It had been four years since I was in Yemen and I was eager to return to experience the change I heard so much about. I was especially interested in the Internet service since I manage an Internet company wishing to expand into the Yemeni market. When I rushed to the first Internet kiosk I found in Sana’a I was disappointed to discover that the service there was too slow to bear. It took me an hour to realize that I was not going to accomplish much considering the speed available to the Internet center and the fact that eight other machines share the connection. I thought that when I reach my home and initiate my own connection that my luck would resurface again, to my disappointment I was to discover otherwise. God Help You if You’re in Taiz In the comfort of my home I turned on my machine and launched the Tel-Yemen’s software expecting the relatively speedy 28.8K connection; that speed was just a sweet dream. I sat in front of my computer reciting Allah’s 99 names and with no avail the connection was too slow even to turn from one page to another. I thought Tel-Yemen was testing my patience so I left my computer and returned to it again to experience even more delays. In essence there was really no internet connection, I was not able to surf the pages I wanted, meanwhile the minutes were rolling quickly, and Tel-Yemen was getting richer for a service that was not efficiently delivered. As a resident of Taiz I discovered that I was connecting at 50% of the speed available to people in Sana’a, which meant I was paying more for less. I was paying twice as much as someone in Sana’a. If I had to wait two minutes for a page, the person in Sana’a would pay only for one minute. I pay 16 Riyal while the person connecting from Sana’a pays only 8 Riyal. I experience the frustration, pay more, and the only benefit I get is getting closer to God as my prayers increase while waiting for pages to load. Tel-Yemen’s Unreliable Yet Expensive Service As it stands, the quality of the Internet service in Yemen, at best, is unreliable and still very expensive. If an Internet company provides the same kind of service Tel-Yemen is providing and charges the same amount of money it would be sued by the people and closed by the government. Unfortunately consumer protection is still not a priority in Yemen and the only consumer advocacy group, The Association for the Protection of Consumers, is not strong enough to voice the concerns of the citizens of Yemen and to win strong legal battles on their behalf. In the case of TeleYemen the issue is complicated by the fact that the government owns about 50% of the company while a British company owns the rest. A Primitive Internet Service in Yemen I am not concerned about the expensive Internet available to Yemeni consumers as much as I am concerned about Tel-Yemen’s lack of planning for the future of Internet service in Yemen. This issue is very important, as a primitive Internet service would insure Yemen’s isolation from the rest of the world. Tel-Yemen today is like the Imam of the past; the Imam isolated us physically and Tel-Yemen’s inability to keep up with internet development is going to leave us isolated from the rest of the world and behind in comparison to other countries. Academic Isolation and Financial Losses Our country will lose a great deal if nothing is done about the Internet service in Yemen. Our universities and students will remain without access to the wealth of information and resources available on the Internet, this will lead to an academic isolation especially since Journals and other scientific publications are hard to find. Our business people will not be able to enter and compete effectively in the world of E-commerce, this means the loss of millions of dollars. A Free Market Has No Monopoly! Tel-Yemen has a government sanctioned monopoly on the long distance service available in Yemen and should not be allowed to monopolize the internet market especially at a time when Yemen is announcing to the world that it has a free economy. Does Yemen really have a free economy? Will Yemen allow other companies to provide competitive Internet service? Only by opening the Internet market and allowing other companies to compete to provide a better and a cheaper service will Yemen guarantee its place in the 21st century. Yemen’s new electronic isolation from the rest of the world will cease when the government of Yemen understands that the future is dependent on the quality and availability of the connectivity to the Internet. By: Jalal Al-Sharaabi Yemen Times The greatness of September 26 revolution does not lie in driving out the tyrants but in the fact that it had broken from the midst of an illiterate and poor society. Developed countries led their revolutions after they had realized an industrial development while Yemen’s revolution erupted from the scratch led by young students who studied at Egypt or at the orphanage. So far, 38 years have elapsed since the revolution, we are still working under guidance of its six great goals. Yemen revolution coincided with other revolutions in Algeria and Iraq. Before them there had been the great Egyptian revolution in 1952 which triggered all Arab revolutions. After 38 years we are still confident that spirit of the revolution can never die despite all conspiracies and corruption. It is greater than all those who can not realize the meaning of revolution. Many people occupy important positions without understanding the greatness of the revolution, thinking that it favored them by giving them the chance to enjoy all revenues of the country and to become leaders of the revolution when they address the people. Remembering the September 26 with admiration, Yemenis also remember the role of the Egyptian forces in enhancing the revolution. The spirits of Egyptian martyrs embraced by Al-Shohada’a cemetery will be always a proof of the great role of Egypt and Abdulnasser played in the success of the September 26 revolution. Until 1970 mercenaries tried with the help of tribes to suppress the newly-born revolution but revolutionaries were too mighty and strong to defeat. Let’s make tomorrow an embodiment of the spirit of the revolution. |
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