SANA’A – The Yemeni Free Party (YFP) this week called on Yemeni businessmen and any interested bodies to financially support the party so it can take the next step toward licensing.

YFP was created in February in Aden, with the aim of maintaining Yemen’s unity amidst calls for separation in many parts of south Yemen. The party is the first southern party seeking to instill unity principles and opposing the idea of separating the south of Yemen from the north.

At the moment, party leadership struggles to establish an office in Sana'a because the Political Parties Affairs Committee, which is the legal authority responsible for licensing parties, requires all political parties to have an office in Sana'a, according to Awsan Mohammed Aqlan Hajeb, an engineer and the head of YFP.

"Our aim is to keep Yemen united because separation only serves external parties that want to create disorder in Yemen," Hajeb said in a conversation with the Yemen Times.

The party is composed of 5,000 members from 17 southern and northern Yemeni governorates, he said.

“Because the party is independent and doesn't follow any other parties, it seeks unconditional support from businessmen and tradesmen,” Hajeb said.

According to Hajeb, officials linked to the former regime offered large sums of money if YFP agreed be a part of the General People's Congress, the former ruling party in Yemen.

"We always look for unconditional support to achieve our aim of being an independent and a free party," he said.

Moreover, Hajeb pointed out that members of the party were  to harassment and were dismissed from work after refusing the offer from former President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s party.

He added that the members submittedl etters of complaint to the minister of interior, to civil society organizations and to the Yemeni cabinet about the arbitrary dismissal, but they paid no attention.

The party aims to contribute to increasing the awareness of Yemenis about political issues; instilling the national unity principles; helping to combat corruption; decreasing rates of poverty; educating and supporting the development of youth and women, including providing equal investment opportunities among Yemeni youth and involving women in the political decision-making process; and contributing to solving social problems such as revenge, high dowries and sectarianism. YFP also hopes to achievesustainable development and party growth.

Hajeb added that the party carried out several development projects such as “Yemenis are Educated,” a project sponsored by various charitable associations and aimed at providing training courses to students from low-income families to boost their level of education.

Hajeb said the party has several projects, most of which are radio broadcastings, to boost the level of awareness and to combat corruption.

Hajeb asserted that as an independent party, YFP has good relations with leaders of the Southern Movement.