Focus (Opinion) Of the Week - Issue 15

15 - April 9th thru April 15th 2001, Vol XI

After the new Cabinet
What Else Do We Want?

COMMON SENSE
By: Hassan Al-Haifi
Admittedly, the new cabinet announced last Wednesday gives considerable room for hope that possibly there is something worth thinking about. Yes there is a big cabinet to start with, with 35 ministers, a good number of who seem to be serving a surface function rather than a line or service function. But still there is the feeling that a lot of those faces are new and young faces, many of whom have records that have not been smeared by the unholy corruption and lure to rapid wealth that so many past ministers have gotten away with. Moreover, many of them are known to this writer and several of my colleagues to be hard and conscientious workers and have a very good feeling of the ethics of proper success.
Yes, a cabinet of thirty-five members may seem to be a large cabinet for a small country like this, but then, Yemen is no normal small country and one with particulars that often make us have to take into consideration many political and other factors of character that are seldom found in any other country. But we must also remember that there is a lot of energy that is lying untouched, thanks to so many years of political instability and regional misgivings. That energy, if released, can turn this country into a dynamic and vital regional role player that cannot be underestimated, nor should it be left untouched, because on the whole there is a lot of good in this land and there are sufficient resources to tap that energy and turn it into a productive center, economically and culturally.
Yes Mr. Bajammal, you have a lot of work outlined for you, but with the Cabinet you have now the work should not be as difficult as it may seem to many. The most important element that we need to implant in our new Government is that things cannot go on as they have been going on for so many years. If that is the case, then there is going to be a big disappointment that it seems that our conditions are not under the control of the Government, but rather under the influence of forces far beyond what our Government is able to really take charge of, and that is a disappointment, which the Yemeni people can no longer accept and forgive.
We congratulate you and all your Ministers, new and old, and we implore you to seek new avenues to tread on so that our people can begin to see the light of day and to be relieved from all the meaningless nonsense that have become almost common norms, needlessly, and not serving any national purpose whatsoever.
It is not difficult for the new Government to understand what is going on in the country, because most of your ministers have not been isolated from what the Yemeni people are facing, especially from the inside. We urge you to rely on feedback from the people, before taking any action or making any decision, because the people of Yemen should always be the source of inspiration for any Yemeni Government to be guided by, and by this you will be able to understand where the main areas of ineptitude can be found, which past Governments have fallen into and why. You might even be guided as to the proper channels to pursue to overcome all the obstacles and difficulties that stand in the way of Yemen taking the proper course of development and cultural enlightenment. Moreover, the new Government has enough patriotic blood in it to instill a new course of vigor and dynamic equilibrium that will put the country of Yemen in its rightful course as a productive and prosperous nation that can rely on its own resources and acumen to launch Yemen out of the abyss which it has been unable to come out from, due to the lack of responsibility and self respect, which a lot of officials and social and even religious leaders have been careless to display, without any regard to the welfare and suffering of their people. We urge you to remember that Yemenis all over the world are looking forward to see some positive actions taken by your Government which should include first and foremost the introduction of accountability by all public officials at all levels of Government for their deeds and misdeeds, notwithstanding what their social or political position may be and that the time has come for the productive to be awarded and the ineffective and inefficient to be thrown out and for the corrupt to be prosecuted and put behind bars.
Nobody believes that Government service is easy, especially in a country like Yemen, where we still face the problem of understanding that laws are issued to be effective and enforceable, without regard to the circumstances or the people involved and the consequences, because laws are the tools for the application of justice and without justice and equity there is no Government that can carry out its functions effectively and with the support of the public at large.
On the other hand, your Government will be charged with the awesome fact of rearranging the priorities that will help to energize our economy, because the plight of the people has reached an all-time low, and an inexcusable low at that, when considering that the resources and the capacities are there to launch an economic future for the country that surely can narrow the gap in the standard of living enjoyed by some of our neighbors and the pathetic state of the living conditions of most of our people.
Another important element of good Government is that the Government should not be misguided by the reliance on centralized authority for every facet of our life to the point that we have become literally unable to breathe air without the approval of some central authority. You should give yourself and your cabinet a break from all the routine day to day workings of Government and make proper use of all the staff in Government, by rehabilitating public servants to rely on their own initiative rather than to wait for instructions or guidance from their supervisors and to make them understand that any positive initiative that comes from them will be rewarded accordingly.
We know you have a lot set out for you to have to wait for us to tell you what to do or how to do it, but what you can be assured of is that the press will be ready to stand by you and your cabinet whenever we are assured that you and your cabinet are indeed seeking to satisfy the will and the aspirations of the Yemeni people. After all is not that what good Government is really all about? Congratulations and good luck!

What Yemen Expects from Bajammal

Abdullah Al Rahim
Rahim321@hotmail.com
The time for fresh blood and fresh ideas has come. The appointment of Mr. Bajamal to form the next government, we are told, offers us precisely that. But rather than speculating about how the fresh blood will be injected into the government and what exactly those fresh ideas are, in order to avoid disappointment later; and also to be fair to Mr. Bajamal, we must let him know what the country expects from his incoming administration.
Mr. Bajamal can immediately start by working to strengthen the judiciary's independence, and the right of an individual by ensuring that one should be deemed innocent until proven guilty. This is the cornerstone of a free and democratic society, which respects the rule of law. There can be no compromise on this basic tenet. The judiciary must be made up of qualified people whose integrity and impartiality is beyond a shadow of a doubt. The society must be able to trust and look up to those who implement the law and dispense justice. The judiciary must not only fulfill this trust, but be clearly seen to be doing so.
Mr. Bajamal must also strengthen the freedom of the press. Journalism is not just a matter of reporting the news, but in fact, and perhaps more important, it must be a practice of investigative journalism. Corruption, abuse of power, incompetence and other unhealthy practices thrive in the absence of a free and investigative press. Again, the society must be able to trust the press to be its watchdog.
Armed and supported by an independent judiciary and a free press, Mr. Bajamal must then embark on an anti-corruption jihad within the government. Corruption, like any other form of cancer, cannot be remedied; it must be removed, mercilessly.
To make such a jihad meaningful, Mr. Bajamal must lead by example and therefore insist upon himself and every one of his cabinet colleagues, to declare any personal business interests they have prior to taking office, and then disassociate themselves from the running of their personal businesses. Having done so, that particular individual must, as long as he holds office, withdraw from any decision related to the sector of the economy in which he has an interest. This is what is called transparency and avoiding a conflict of interest. The minister can always go back to being a businessman when he leaves office. But the two functions cannot, and should not , be allowed to run concurrently.
Mr. Bajamal must also ensure that the government has no monetary policy-setting role. This is the function of the Central Bank, which must be independent from the government. Mr. Bajamal must not confused between economic policy-setting, which is a government function, and monetary policy-setting, which is not a government function.
Moreover, preserving the value of the Yemeni Riyal and controlling inflation are not the functions of the government, but that of the Central Bank. The two must have clearly demarcated lines. The Governor of the Central Bank has no business in attending cabinet meetings and the government has no business in being represented in the board of directors of the Central Bank.
Our youth, a big proportion of whom are roaming in the streets, must be directed in a productive way with institutions and programs to cater for their needs. There is no denying the benefits of Internet cafes, but more diversification is needed.
Moreover, with almost 50% of our pupils dropping out of school before grade 9, illiteracy reaching almost 60% and health services access limited to only 55% of the population, there are serious threats to the future of Yemen unless serious and immediate programs are initiated.
With regard to social programs targeted towards our youth, Mr. Bajamal can lobby the wealthy members of our society and the larger private sector companies for funding.
This youthful energy, if it is not properly used by us will be improperly abused by others.
Mr. Bajamal must also pay attention to the very serious problem created by the free access to arms in our country. An incentive based program "domestic disarmament" must be initiated to withdraw arms from the citizens. The government can offer to buy back weapons from citizens within a prescribed time frame. Thereafter, weapons must be confiscated and the government must prosecute those who still clandestinely retain weapons.
The European Union and the United Nations, both of whom have a direct vested interest in the stability of Yemen, could be approached to fund the weapons buy back program. Another source of funding could be the government's own military budget. The government could decide to reduce its overseas shopping list for military hardware and divert the savings to the weapons buy back program in Yemen.
Qat is another problem in our society. But until the government is able to offer alternative employment opportunities to the thousands employed in the Qat industry, any effort to solve the Qat problem will prove ineffective.
Mr. Bajamal can also lead the country towards a more restrained foreign policy. Yemen does not have the resources to be involved in every foreign policy issue or crises. We have to take a breather and adopt a more inward looking policy that puts the interests of Yemen first and foremost. We must recognize our limitations and status. There is a lot of cleaning to be done in our own backyard and our tools are limited. Perhaps Mr. Bajamal can lead us to a more selfish, but wiser use of these limited tools. Our foreign policy must now become less politically oriented and instead it must be a tool of our economic development. We must focus more and more towards those countries that can contribute to our economic objectives. In the long run this will not only help us, but our brothers in the Islamic and Arab world as well. A strong and developed Yemen is more useful to its brothers than the presently weak and underdeveloped Yemen.
If Mr. Bajamal can meet these expectations, he would then retire as one of our finest Prime Ministers. On the other hand, if none of these issues figure into his agenda, then perhaps the cabinet re-shuffle is nothing more than just a shuffling of chairs and faces.
But also to be fair to Mr. Bajamal, we must insist that the President gives Mr. Bajamal the full support of his presidential prestige and the powers of his office. The President has appointed the Prime Minister, now the President must let the Prime Minister do his job. The President must ensure that the Prime Minister is not cut off at his knees.

Emergency Government Needed

Hassan al-Zaidi
Yemen Times
When we agree that we suffer from an economic crisis, we do believe that we should channel our efforts to address the situation and not busy ourselves with questions about the identity of the person who will head the government.
As Mr. Ba Jamal was authorized to form the new government, it triggered much controversy regarding the local and international issues which led the President take the step of firing Dr. Iryani. Instead we should study the causes of the crisis.
It is time we considered the priorities the new government has to deal with, regardless of whether the preachers of radical change will be up to their word or whether the new government will just be a repetition of faces, or whether there will be a turning point in the lives of the Yemenis.
When we talk about a change, we do not ask for changing the regulations of the regime, its institutions or leadership. We rather call for changing the old heritage and techniques which have resulted in the economic and social crisis. This is actually a dangerous stage posing many economic challenges which may lead to "the hungry revolution" , unless all the corrupt officials are removed from high positions. .
Without the radical change, as the late Dr. Abdulaziz al-Saqqaf said, "it is impossible to establish a government that eradicates corruption and the corrupt, wherever they are, to make Yemen the Arabia felix again." The essence of radical change is unquestionably in the policies, and not in faces, of administrative techniques. It is and not in the people taking over, in Ministers' authorities and not in their names, in the authorities of the PM and his efficiency and not in his party, tribe or his belongings.
If the new government will not heed the economic, security, administrative and financial challenges and eradicate corruption from the state's institutions and be a copy of its former government, what is the use of forming it! Nothing is better than to have an emergency government headed by the president, formed of national experts, partisan and non-partisan specialists and who, under the President's leadership, will be able to save the country from its current crisis. He is the only one who can help these figures and enable them to overcomes the hurdles which faced the former government.
The people have borne a lot of setbacks by governments, have suffered from the repetition of faces and lack of scientific policies to retrieve their ever deteriorating situation. If these are heeded, the people will remain clung to a far-fetched hope of starting with the formation of a new government with an eye-catching program. However, this program has no real meaning, leading to the deterioration of the situation beyond any further control. Then "the hungry revolution" will break out.

A Word on the 10th Anniversary of Yemen Times

Nabil Mustafa Mahdi
GM of the Information Center
Aden University
The 10th anniversary celebration of Yemen Times that took place in last February was no doubt an occasion for joy and happiness for the newspaper's staff and guests.
Despite the great success of the newspaper during the last 10 years, the celebration was also a time for remembering the tremendously harsh and difficult journey throughout the years. It was a time to recall the nights that the staff went without sleep, and the days when so many challenges rose in front of them. Thankfully, the difficult times have passed, and the reward for the hardwork times was huge and more than satisfactory, as the newspaper's staff kept to their promise of moving along the path of the founder, may God bless his soul, and continuing his noble mission.
The trust and confidence of the founder in the newspaper will continue. Indeed, its mission continued due to the full cooperation and united stand of the staff of the newspaper. The employees of the Yemen Times proved to themselves and to the world that they are one block that is extremely difficult to break and penetrate. Now there is no doubt that the newspaper is built on a strong foundation that guarantees its continued progress and development.
The newspaper deserves the reputation and publicity it has today because it maintained very important standards that continue to put it ahead of other newspapers:
1-It has a confined and stable identity
2-The newspaper's character, which is known to be balanced, serious, independent, and honest. A reader can know that it is Yemen Times with just reading its contents.
3-Its professional features include having the best of design, in selecting photos that represent true professionalism, and its diverse columns.
4-Its contents which has the most up-to-date reports and its selection of the different topics according to their significance for the community. It is also unique for its diversity and respect to copyrights of others.
5-Its simple style and reasonably good language makes it readable by many Yemenis who benefit from it in many ways including learning about the latest news and improving their English language. Its ability to provide much information with numbers and precise details is also a great advantage.
6-Its respect for the general objective of journalism in providing the facts without ignoring the religious and national values.
Along with all that, I must add a final word. Yemen Times is a distinguished proof of true journalism in its content, style, design, and objective. It tries to bring what is new and in many ways. It also participates in building and developing the culture of the society in political, economic, social, and national aspects through its reports and efforts that reflect the love for all that is new and positive.
The fact that many of its employees are relatives makes it a friendly environment. But when it comes to work, being a relative makes no difference, it is only work that counts. The wisdom of the Editor-in-Chief is evident by the newspaper's continuous progress and added services to its readers, adding to the confidence of the public in this giant enterprise.
I congratulate the newspaper along with the staff on this occasion, wishing them all the best of success and progress.

Smoking Egg-plants

Crystals
by Mohamed Kadri
No doubt dishes of stuffed egg-plants are delicious and irresistible. But beware, egg-plants and tobacco are relatives!

According to a report prepared by a tobacco farming specialist, tobacco and egg-plants belong originally to the same agricultural family. Both are of similar species in origin.

Talking about tobacco may be monotonous. For all of us are aware how risky smoking is. Hence, I would rather present two tales about egg-plants. Some people believe egg-plants to be the food of those in Paradise. Such people have the core of their belief in a saying by the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH). Some others dislike egg-plants on the ground that it leads to homicides! Of course both are fictitious.

Recently, a Lebanese column press writer told me about tobacco and egg-plants. According to him, eating ten kilograms of egg-plant is similar to smoking a few grams of tobacco.

Shall we initiate parliamentary discussions on raising taxation on egg-plant selling? Or be just fair and ban advertising of egg-plants, especially those Lebanese delicious stuffed egg-plant dishes?