By Ahmed al-Jarallah
This commentary was published in The Arab Times on 26/04/2011
If it is true that the opposition in Yemen has incited public revolt against the government of Ali Abdulla Saleh, why has it delayed solutions and aggravated the crisis? It looks like the opposition has no actual control on the street. When the opposition stumbled upon groups genuinely demanding social rights, it suddenly jumped on the bandwagon and politicized the issue.
This opposition is weak and it does not play a key role on Yemeni streets, as was evident in the failure of the parliamentary elections supervised by the United Nations and closely monitored by the whole world. It is now trying to use the street to be at the forefront of the youth movement.
The Yemeni opposition has incited the youth groups to rebel against the government. It has taken advantage of these groups’ strength to achieve personal goals. It has presented additional demands, up to the extent of calling for the ouster of Saleh in an unconstitutional manner not to push for reforms, but to seize power.
This opposition seems oblivious to the fact that it cannot fulfill its dreams because the Yemeni president enjoys the support of a popular majority. It is not possible to sacrifice this majority or disregard the trust bestowed in him by the Yemenis to satisfy the whims of a few people.
The majority will not let Saleh fall prey to the threats of the minority. The majority will stand by the president until the end and defend his legitimate constitutional rights even if it means taking hard decisions.
The initiative taken by the Gulf Cooperation Council States to resolve the Yemeni crisis is fair and prudent because it gave ‘Caesar what is Caesar’s’, in the sense that it gave equal opportunity to the majority, which supports the president and the government that will oversee the transfer of power and hold elections.
President Saleh has accepted this initiative because he wants to prevent bloodshed and civil war and its terrible consequences. He could have rejected the GCC initiative, abused his power and led the country towards a dark tunnel.
The Yemeni opposition, which has nothing in mind but to escalate tension, should be aware that the Gulf initiative will not change and that Yemen and the countries of the region and the world will not accept the transformation of Yemen into another Somalia.
No one will allow non-peaceful transition of power or the unconstitutional resignation of Saleh to avoid chaos that we witnessed in Tunisia and Egypt because no one knows who will come to rule the country — the thugs or the remaining institutions of the state.
Therefore, this opposition must stay away from the street to prevent the flow of blood, which will wash away everything in its path, fill the nation with remorse and leave whoever survives the onslaught crying over the ruins of Yemen.
Over the years and even during the darkest period of this crisis, Saleh has proven that he wants the best for his country. He works for it, even at the expense of his interest. When he hands over power to his successor, it will be done not only under his supervision but that of the GCC states in full view of the entire world.
The opposition is now obliged to accept the Gulf initiative unless it wants to set fire to the entire Yemen, which will be remembered by the world as the once ‘Happy Yemen’.
This commentary was published in The Arab Times on 26/04/2011
If it is true that the opposition in Yemen has incited public revolt against the government of Ali Abdulla Saleh, why has it delayed solutions and aggravated the crisis? It looks like the opposition has no actual control on the street. When the opposition stumbled upon groups genuinely demanding social rights, it suddenly jumped on the bandwagon and politicized the issue.
This opposition is weak and it does not play a key role on Yemeni streets, as was evident in the failure of the parliamentary elections supervised by the United Nations and closely monitored by the whole world. It is now trying to use the street to be at the forefront of the youth movement.
The Yemeni opposition has incited the youth groups to rebel against the government. It has taken advantage of these groups’ strength to achieve personal goals. It has presented additional demands, up to the extent of calling for the ouster of Saleh in an unconstitutional manner not to push for reforms, but to seize power.
This opposition seems oblivious to the fact that it cannot fulfill its dreams because the Yemeni president enjoys the support of a popular majority. It is not possible to sacrifice this majority or disregard the trust bestowed in him by the Yemenis to satisfy the whims of a few people.
The majority will not let Saleh fall prey to the threats of the minority. The majority will stand by the president until the end and defend his legitimate constitutional rights even if it means taking hard decisions.
The initiative taken by the Gulf Cooperation Council States to resolve the Yemeni crisis is fair and prudent because it gave ‘Caesar what is Caesar’s’, in the sense that it gave equal opportunity to the majority, which supports the president and the government that will oversee the transfer of power and hold elections.
President Saleh has accepted this initiative because he wants to prevent bloodshed and civil war and its terrible consequences. He could have rejected the GCC initiative, abused his power and led the country towards a dark tunnel.
The Yemeni opposition, which has nothing in mind but to escalate tension, should be aware that the Gulf initiative will not change and that Yemen and the countries of the region and the world will not accept the transformation of Yemen into another Somalia.
No one will allow non-peaceful transition of power or the unconstitutional resignation of Saleh to avoid chaos that we witnessed in Tunisia and Egypt because no one knows who will come to rule the country — the thugs or the remaining institutions of the state.
Therefore, this opposition must stay away from the street to prevent the flow of blood, which will wash away everything in its path, fill the nation with remorse and leave whoever survives the onslaught crying over the ruins of Yemen.
Over the years and even during the darkest period of this crisis, Saleh has proven that he wants the best for his country. He works for it, even at the expense of his interest. When he hands over power to his successor, it will be done not only under his supervision but that of the GCC states in full view of the entire world.
The opposition is now obliged to accept the Gulf initiative unless it wants to set fire to the entire Yemen, which will be remembered by the world as the once ‘Happy Yemen’.
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