Online poll shows GCC reluctance to admit neighbour

The number of voters was overwhelming and the multiple-choice question intensified feelings on an already debatable issue: should Yemen, a poor country in comparison, be allowed to join the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)?

Nearly 71 per cent of the 1.173 million readers who voted in an online poll said allowing Yemen to join the GCC would drag the Gulf bloc down. Nearly 28 per cent said such a move would actually strengthen the bloc, less than one per cent said it would save Yemen from collapse, and a tiny percentage said it would protect the region from terrorism.

The poll, which was conducted by the Yemeni Arabic-language news website Al Masdar Online, said the poll on Yemen's membership in the GCC last December was the first to attract such a high number of voters.

The controversy over Yemen joining the GCC has only deepened given the recent protests in many Yemeni cities — a development that many experts cautioned has the potential to negatively impact the rest of the Gulf region.

"The process of building the state in Yemen was stopped, and the role of the law has almost diminished. Therefore, Yemen became the bogeyman that frightens the Gulf," said Abdul Gani Al Iryani, a Yemeni economist, on the reasons for not including Yemen in the GCC.

Yemen's inclusion in the bloc, which was created in May 1981, has been under discussion for many years. While supporters of the move say it will benefit both sides as Yemen shares the same social and cultural backgrounds, opponents say it will export Yemen's political and economic problems to neighbouring Gulf countries.

Slow mover

"Yemen has not worked on correcting itself to benefit itself and others," says former Yemeni finance minister Saif Al Assali.

"Nobody can count on it abroad to play its own role... We can't blame the GCC countries for not accepting Yemen's membership," he told Gulf News.

Yemen, according to Al Iryani, should have taken advantage of its geographical location and big population to establish proper infrastructure and beneficial economic projects that would benefit it and the rest of the Gulf region.

"We need to make use of our financial ability and train our children to make them qualified for the Gulf markets," Al Assali said.

While recent demonstrations in Yemen have caught the attention of the world, experts said the GCC countries are not expected to extend a helping hand to Yemen. Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait too have witnessed protests and rallies calling for more political and economic reforms.

"Yemen missed the opportunity some five years back," Al Assali said. "There was a GCC intention of supporting [Yemen]. Then it was possible, but now each Gulf country is busy with its own internal issues … and this is Yemen's misfortune."