Saleh meddling must stop

The interference from Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president of Yemen, in the country’s affairs may sabotage attempts to solve Yemen’s problems. Saleh’s meddling was expected, given that he did not resign from his position as the leader of the General Congress Party, and his son and relatives are still in positions of power in the army and security forces. Obviously it is difficult for the man to accept the reality of his new position, and he just can’t move on and live without creating another political crisis. In fact, he once promised in an interview with Al Arabiya television that he would make sure that he disrupts the new government after stepping down as president.

Yemen, which is currently at a critical stage, definitely does not need this type of meddling and madness from Saleh. Using Al Sabeen Square, which is the main square for national celebrations in the capital Sana’a, to celebrate Saleh’s 70th birthday recently was provocative, especially given the fact that he never celebrated his birthday in public before for one good reason: he doesn’t know for sure when he was born. It is ironic that Saleh now wants to write his biography to clear all ambiguity about his years in power. I really wonder if he will dare to talk in his book about the controversial and hidden case of a former president of Yemen who was assassinated in 1977.

The death was never officially investigated. I also wonder if he will tell the truth about how he is responsible for all the corruption and chaos in Yemen or at least point out who was behind all the massacres of peaceful protesters in the past year. But I am sure all these issues and many others will remain undisclosed as it is not in his and his family’s interest to share these stories. It is clear that dictators’ books are not written keeping public interest in mind; they are just written to massage their egos, and most likely by the same people who write their speeches and lies.

Already, there are enough challenges facing the new government and President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi is struggling to carry out his duties. But he is serious about political reform.

Kidnapping

Opposition parties have a responsibility to play their part in the coming national dialogue, both within and between political parties. They must refrain from setting more conditions.

The caretaker government led by Mohammad Basindwa presented its report to the parliament last month, identifying the main challenges and opportunities for Yemen and for those in the international community interested in supporting the process of reforms in Yemen.

The role played by internal and external groups with vested interests that are not in line with Yemen’s interests affects the security situation in Yemen. Last week’s kidnapping of the Saudi deputy consul in Aden was shocking. This is definitely an odd time to kidnap the man who only had a couple of days left before his term in Yemen ended. More importantly, it happened following Hadi’s first official visit to Saudi Arabia to improve bilateral cooperation. Yemen was granted Saudi aid to cover its oil needs for two months. Many odd incidents, like sabotage of power stations and oil installations, have taken place. Perhaps they were meant to “prove” the government’s failure.

Reform and military restructuring is the only way to achieve security and implement the next phase of the GCC initiative. Hadi now has the power to develop clear strategies for change and create strong alliances outside his own political party. Also serious consideration needs to be given to the youth by enabling them to bring in real changes and implement reform. In the short term, the youth who are not members of any party should organise themselves, whether by forming a new party or getting involved in social service.

Individual efforts for reform are necessary as well and Yemen’s youth have embarked on some initiatives, like cleaning their cities themselves without waiting for the municipalities to do their duty. One effort, led by social activist Hind Aleryani, who is based in Lebanon, is intended to expand the campaign against qat (a mild narcotic leaf) in all government offices. This follows the amazing success of the initial campaign on Facebook, called “A day without qat”. Initiatives like these should be encouraged and sponsored by civil society organisations to create space for dialogue with the government in order to achieve social reform.

Yemen’s priority must be to move away from conflict and towards peace and stability. And this has to be based on genuine dialogue and long-term commitment from leaders and the youth, who best reflect Yemen’s interests and values.