Mr.
Abdulkarim Hassan Taqi is the chief editor and publisher of the Sanaa weekly
newspaper and a renowned journalist since the early 1970s. His father was
the Imam's correspondence and speech writer. He graduated from the Science
Institute at the hands of the first delegation of Egyptian teachers. The
first employee to come out of Taiz to work in the presidential office,
Taqi, 65, occupied several posts in the army, the judicial system and the
foreign ministry. During the early years of the revolution in Yemen, he
worked with some of its more illustrious leaders such as Marshal Abdullah
Al-Sallal and Ustaz Ahmed Mohammed Noman.
Q: When did you start working in journalism?
A: In the early 1970s, there were
only two daily newspapers in the country: Al-Thawra in Sanaa and Al-Jumohoriya
in Taiz. Both are state-owned. I felt then that there should be an independent
publication to provide a forum for the alternative point of view. So a
group of intellectuals, writers and journalists got together, discussed
the matter and decided to publish Sanaa.
I approached the then Minister of Information, Mr. Ahmed Dahmash, who
very much welcomed the idea. He even exempted us from paying fees for a
publication permit.
The first issue of Sanaa - edited by Mr. Mohsin Al-Aini, former Foreign
Minister and Premiere - was met with a lot of approval by its readers.
The second issue was edited by the late Mohammed Ali Othman.
Q: This was not the first time a publication
by that name appeared in Yemen. Could you briefly tell us about its predecessor?
A: The beginning was in 1879, during
the Ottoman occupation of Yemen. Sanaa then consisted of two pages: one
in Arabic and the other in Turkish. But its demise came when the Turks
left Yemen.
Q: Can you tell us more about the conditions
in journalism and publishing at the time you decided to launch Sanaa ?
A: At the start, we faced numerous
difficulties, which we were able to surmount with a lot of enthusiasm and
encouragement by friends and well-wishers.
Sanaa was published by Yemeni Company for Printing and Publishing,
which also used to print Al-Thawra daily. The printing process was quite
primitive then. When the Offset printing press was introduced into Yemen
in the mid-1970s, Sanaa came to be published by the Al-Thawra Establishment
for Printing and Publishing. For the last ten years, however, Sanaa has
been printed by 26 September printing press.
The line adopted by Sanaa was not always compatible with that of the
authorities. So the best part of ten years was spent in a tug-of-war game
with the government. At one time, Sanaa's chief editor was put under house
arrest and threatened with imprisonment.
Q: Were there any other independent newspapers
published in Sanaa?
A: Sanaa was the first one, followed
in one year by Al-Ray Al-Aam published by Mr. Ali Al-Olufi and Al-Horiya
by Mr. Abdulkarim Sabra. These three remained the only ones until the unification
of Yemen. After unity, licenses were granted to more than 170 publications.
Q: How do describe the direction adopted by
Sanaa today?
A: Sanaa has the honor of following
a wholly balanced and overtly patriotic line of action. Ten years ago,
I was offered five million riyals to relinquish Sanaa, but I refused categorically.
At one time in the recent past, we had to print Sanaa in Syria. It
used to be sold on the black market in Yemen for ten times its cover price.
This shows how popular it was. Sanaa was, still is and ever will be an
independent publication. It has determinedly kept independence despite
many attempts by various political organizations to engulf it in their
party politics. The paper has never stopped during the last 27 years of
its existence.
Moreover, although I am a senior member of the ruling People's General
Congress, my paper is very much healthily independent.
Q: Do you receive any financial support of
any kind?
A: No, not at all. And that is
how we managed to keep it away from any outside influence.
Q: What is Sanaa's circulation?
A: Sanaa used to have a circulation
of between 10,000 and 15,000. With the onset of the current economic crisis
and the rise in the price of paper, we have had to reduce the number of
copies printed to 7,000 only.
Q: How do you estimate the size of its readership?
A: Sanaa has quite a following
among the general public. Almost no copies are returned.
Q: Your photograph appeared in Newsweek. How
did this come about?
A: This was when the information
desk at the Yemen Embassy in Washington was opened for the first time.
I was treated as a guest of honor. I met the US Vice President, a number
of Congressmen and the director of the International Development Agency.
Q: Who are the most prominent people who have
been interviewed by Sanaa?
A: We interviewed Jacques Chirac
when he was the mayor of Paris, the assistant to George Bush's running
mate during the presidential campaign and Bush's aide for the Middle and
Near Eastern affairs. Interviews were also made with the Jordanian army
Chief of Staff, King Fahad when he was Crown Prince and with Prince Sultan
Bin Abdulaziz.
Q: How do you evaluate democracy in general
and freedom of the press in particular in Yemen today?
A: We cannot really say that there
is real freedom of the press, as recognized by the rest of the world. There
is, however, a reasonable margin of freedom available for journalists.
But what is really followed is the adage 'let them say what they want,
and we'll do what we want.'
Democracy is a complete system of rules and institutions, in addition
to a well educated populace that understands what democracy really is.
Democracy flourishes in the midst of an educated people, which constantly
monitors the state's performance.
During a recent visit to the Central Organization for Control and Audit,
President Ali Abdullah Saleh said that the media should uncover and publicly
denounce corrupt officials. But I have quite a daring question: can any
journalist really denounce a senior government official publicly? The obvious
answer is No!
Democracy, freedom of the press, freedom of expression, etc, in a backward
country like Yemen are really just slogans. Can any journalist go to an
apartment block in an upper middle class area in Sanaa, say, take photos
and say that this edifice is owned by so- and-so who embezzled so much
from the state coffers? The answer is again No! Nobody dares to do such
a thing.
Real democracy is to be able to hold corrupt people accountable for
their wrong deeds. Democracy is a whole range of responsibilities that
is governed by many rules and regulations.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh is a patriotic person, and is trying to
build a modern state. Unfortunately, he has not yet been completely successful.
He certainly has achieved many great things: unification, a group of important
development projects, agricultural growth, oil and gas exploitation, and
many others. We all aim to establish a state of law and order.
Q: How do you see the reform program going?
A: Financial and administrative
reform is a strategic goal. However, I do not understand how a senior public
official could give his very expensive government car to his son or his
wife to go shopping. All expenses are paid by public money, of course.
In the US, for instance, a government car is only used for official business.
Q: It is often rumored that some senior officials
chew qat at a cost equivalent to the salaries of 300 junior public employees
per month. How can this happen?
A: Yes, some officials chew qat
worth 3,000 riyals every day. Such people must be regarded as a saboteurs.
Where do they get such money? It certainly is not from their monthly government
salary. Bribery and corruption are rife.
People have lost confidence in the State. They see corrupt officials
go unpunished, on the contrary, they flourish. The citizens' trust in the
State must be restored through positive action.
All sorts of contradictions are present in Yemen, it is frightening.
We as intellectuals are bewildered.
Q: What is your estimation of the number of
people who read newspapers and other publications in Yemen?
A: It is not more than 5%. I mean
newspapers only circulate in major towns and cities, and are read by a
particular segment of educated people and political " amateurs."
Q: How effective is the opposition in Yemen?
A: There is no real opposition
in Yemen. An effective opposition must rely on a wide popular base, through
which it can have a say in parliament. Thus, a balance can be struck in
parliament with the ruling party. Also, the opposition can then effectively
monitor the government's performance with the aim of rectifying it if necessary.
There is no democracy without an effective opposition, which is certainly
not just a bunch of newspapers attacking the government.
Q: Do you see a satisfactory resolution to
Yemen's economic crisis?
A: Yemen is not a poor country,
but has huge natural resources. The main malady is that these resources
are wasted or stolen. The equation must be: work plus intensive production
equals a strong economy. We have totally the opposite in Yemen. The economic
crisis will persist, unless real corrective measures are taken. Only true
economic reform can restore the people's self-confidence.
