This is an OPINION page.  
Every week, a different intellectual writes a FOCUS on a pertinent issue!  

By: Mohammed Hatem Al-Qadhi,
Managing Editor, Yemen Times

The action of the parliament with regard to the no confidence motion against the opposition's nominee Mr. Ali Saleh Obad was actually a great shock to all concerned. It clouded the horizons and created ripples in the minds of political analysts who were totally staggered and openly expressed their resentment and unhappiness with this action. They believe that the ensuing presidential elections are now pointless and are deprived of free and fair competition in the true sense of the term. Rather, it is an action against the Article 5 of the Yemeni Constitution which dictates that the political system is based on political plurality for effecting peaceful exchange of authority. But, unless a fair-play and healthy competition is to take place, political plurality can not exist and thus democracy becomes just a mere shallow slogan without any real meaning. The requirement of the obligatory recommendation of 10% of the members present is at any rate irrational since it doesn't mean anything decisive or meaningful in a fair competition. Moreover, it stipulates that all the candidates should have the ratification of the parliament, a practice not found in any democratic country of the world. 

The presidency is supposed to be open to all who are eligible under the provisions of the Constitution. Sometimes a presidential nominee might be dependent, but popular and has a chance to compete strongly. Therefore, the parliament might not recommend him because he might compete the nominee of the ruling party. This means that the rights of some people are confiscated which is entirely against the spirit of the Constitution. Suppose either Dr. Faraj bin Ghanem or Dr. Yassin Saeed Noman accepted to be the nominee of the opposition. Then, was the parliament going to behave in the same way as it did with Ali Saleh Obad? Or was it a matter of finishing a showdown with Mr. Obad. Some might claim that the parliament recommended Mr. Najeeb Qahtan Al-Shabi as an independent nominee. But, who can not understand the game? He is a member of the permanent committee of the PGC as well as one of its representatives in the parliament and he hasn't yet announced his resignation from the membership of the party. So, what does this mean? Two members of the same party are competing against each other. How come? Therefore, it has become very clear to everyone that Mr. Najeeb is just what we can call a mere dummy or puppet candidate, which in practical terms means that there is only one candidate left in the fray.

In the final analysis, the rejection of the opposition's nominee is seen by many observers as an attempt by the ruling party to throttle the infant democratic process in Yemen. In fact, it has been nipped in the bud, particularly in view of the fact that it is the first presidential elections which should have been used to stabilize democratic processes in the country. This is because no real elections can take place without real healthy competition.
Of course, the nomination of Mr. Saleh Obad by the opposition was not quite convincing and successful , for he is not the fittest man to effectively voice the will and safeguard the interests of the whole rank and file. He was, of course, not expected to win the elections. However, he could have been able to make the elections a little bit competitive and meaningful and would have lent a credibility to the whole exercise. But, what happened actually means that the political arena has become virtually a one-man domain as the opposition's nominee was kicked out of the ring. Some observers think that the government and People's General Congress (PGC) have failed to qualify at the acid test of democracy and have proved that they are not in sound position to compete against any strong challenger, though the PGC has lately confirmed in its sixth General Conference that the affiliation to it is increasing and that its members swelled to over 2 million. Therefore, it doesn't stand to reason why the PGC should feel scared to compete against the opposition's nominee.

More importantly, the recommendation of president Saleh and and Mr. Najeeb Al-Shabi has made the elections a myth and turned them into a mere referendum just like what usually happens in Syria and Egypt. In fact, that has marked the end of the elections before they have started.
Yemen has recently been the seat of the Emerging Democracies Forum, an important event in the history of the emerging democracies. The event was a good pointer of the democratic growth in Yemen. We should all be aware of the fact that the world is keenly watching what is happening in Yemen with a lot of interest and concern. But now, ironically the first experience of the presidential elections has been aborted. So, how will the world view it? These elections should not have ruled out the opposition's candidate since it was going to set a very healthy precedent by way of strengthening the democratic norms and values in the country. Do we want to show that we are not qualitatively superior to some other Arab countries which are incapable of embracing democratic institutions?

The opposition rightly condemned the whole scenario, looking down upon it as a theatrical farce, a confiscation of the rights of the opposition to take part in the ensuing presidential elections and a usurpation of the people's freedom of choice.
Some legal observers also consider the parliament's recommendation of Mr. Najeeb Al-Shabi, the son of the first president of the former South of Yemen Republic, as a good omen meant to prepare the Yemeni people for the possible nomination of the son of the president Saleh for the forthcoming elections.

Now, the opposition's nominee is gone. In the general public estimation, these elections are no more meaningful and valuable as it will not yield anything substantial in the political horizon of Yemen. Rather, they will be a source of frittering valuable resources of the country without anything tangible in return. This sizable misinvestment can better be used in launching essential developmental projects the society badly needs.
The most important thing to be done now is that the Article 107 of the Constitution regarding the existing practice of 10% members present and voting has to be scrapped and I believe president Saleh will be able to do that so as to prove to the world that we are willing to democratize. Let's hope the justice prevails and the democratic norms are vindicated.

Common Sense
By: Hassan Al-Haifi

Khalid was speaking to his friends as they approached the coffee shop at the University Grounds: "I can now officially state that our democracy has achieved maturity as a full fledged mockery."
Amr, a fellow student, not too interested in the politics of the day was somewhat stimulated by Khalid's statement: "Why do you say that. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Conference of Emerging Democracies was held in Sana'a, which implies international recognition of the strides Yemen has made in its democratization process."
Khalid was surprised by Amr's rising interest in politics: "Amr, you mean the Conference of 'submerging' democracies. I can assure you that Yemen's democracy is the only democracy known to be retracting. The worst part of it all is that our Parliament had gone to insure that it will go out of its way to placate the executive authority rather than uphold the democratic principles, which it is responsible for safeguarding."

Farida was on her way to class as she joined them at the coffee shop, for a cup of tea before class: "With the Parliament we have, did you really expect that further democratization can be achieved by members, who probably do not even know the name of the constituency they represent? In fact, I would not be surprised if the members of Parliament do not even know what a Parliament is supposed to do, let alone the principles they must uphold."
Khalid: "Now, there is a woman who really knows what is eating at my heart. Just 10 days ago, I was listening to a debate of the Lebanese House of Representatives, and I could not help but sigh a hundred times."
Amr: "Does Lebanon have a Parliament? I thought that Yemen was the only democracy in all of Asia and Africa, not just the Middle East!"
Khalid: "Yemen is the only democracy in the region that is not a democracy, but a mockery of the democratic process, that no democracy anywhere can rival. As I was saying, listening to the debate of the Lebanese Parliament made me wish that our members of Parliament could be up to par with the messengers of that Parliament. One cannot fail but be impressed by the eloquence and level of high intellect the members of the Lebanese Parliament showed during those debates of the Lebanese budget and other issues."

Farida had another view: "I was fascinated by the order and adherence to the rules on parliamentary procedures those Lebanese MPs showed. I cannot believe those members just a few years ago represented different factions from a senseless civil war just a few years ago."
Amr: "Look our parliamentary debates are also aired on TV. Isn't that a sign that our democracy is genuine."
Farida had a comment on that: "If they do not like what any MP says, they will cut it out of the televised debate, which are only aired after the censors have turned the tape of the debate into a garbled conglomeration of sentence fragments that have no ends or beginnings."
Amr wanted clarifications: "Who are they, and why don't the MPs complain about having their statements subjected to censorship?"
Khalid was ready with the answer: "Read George Orwell's 1984, and you will know who they are. Big Brother is clearly present in our democratic process."
Amr spoke somewhat feeling lucky: "I have no big brother, so I do not have to worry about that."
Farida: "This Big Brother Khalid is talking about is no blood relative, but that mysterious omnipresent evil that turns democracy into a farce."

Someone who was sitting at a nearby table came to join them, although not really a friend of any of them: Hi, fellow students, aren't you impressed by the democracy we have become?"
Khalid smelled Big Brother's presence: "I can assure you we are impressed by the democracy that others have, which we certainly could learn a lot from. How is Big Brother doing?"
The newcomer, whose name was unfamiliar to any of the other students said: "You know my big brother?"
Khalid knew that this guy had very limited literary intellect: "I meet him in qat chew sessions and have seen him almost every place where people gather! He seems to be always there, taking note of the vibes in the street and on the trees and everywhere you go!"
The newcomer seemed somewhat puzzled, but still wanted to distract some more ideas being circulated by the group: "Yes, that is my big brother all right, he is very well placed socially. He helped me get a job with the government. But everyone always talks about my Big Brother, as though I have nothing to portray that will overcome his omnipresence."
Amr seemed to be sympathetic to the inferiority complex of this strange person: "Look, friend you are young and maybe you will soon pick up on your big brother's charisma."
Farida seemed to catch the climate they were in: "Where are you working at the National Safety Council, or the Gossip Collection Division of the University Security Division?"
The newcomer did not want to be the subject of discussion: "I am just interested in what you were talking about, I think that our Parliament has shown that it can make decisive decisions rather quickly."
Amr wanted to understand: "I am not sure I understand, do you mean on the benefits they get and the extra allowances. That is all that seems to get anywhere with our Parliament. "
As for the other decisions they seem to be well guided on the decisions they should make."
Khalid: "They are only guided by the level of comprehension they posses."Farida: "What comprehension? These people have no level of comprehension to speak of. I can remember the Parliament of the period before the hated Civil War, when we had parliamentary members who were indeed very patriotic and seemed to have a far better comprehension of their roles and the issues of the day."
Amr: "Well, I know that the only issues these parliamentary members know, are the latest currency issues, in both local and foreign currencies."
The little brother had to say something: "Why are you so critical of people you elected to office."
Khalid wanted to make sure that little brother has nothing to report: "Amr here is not an expert on political affairs. He has been upset by the Lebanese Parliamentary debate, and he thinks all Parliaments are like that?"
The listening ear spoke: "So you agree, Amr that our Parliament is unrivaled. The way they decided on the Presidential nomination only goes to prove how they have made the Presidential elections another forward step in the democratization process."
Khalid whispered into Amr's ear: "Choose your words carefully, Big Brother is listening."Amr still failed to understand: "I told you I have no big brother!"
Farida wanted to assure Amr: "We all have a Big Brother; he is everywhere even in our sleep."Sensing that he was about to be exposed the little brother got up and excused himself: Sorry guys, I have to go give a report. I hope that I can join you again."

Farida muttered something as he left: "I am sure his report will be interesting to his big brother. Maybe he will get promoted."Amr continued to show his naivete: "Whom do you mean him or his big brother?
Khalid responded: "His Big Brother is already at the top of the ranks. As a matter of fact he has shown that he is even at the top of our Parliament!"