Is This Yemen?
An editorial from the Yemen Observer.
Twenty-one presidential candidates, two of whom are women; expansion of the Supreme Commision for Elections and Referendum to nine people, five of whom are opposition; more than eight hundred anti-corruption signs throughout the country; opposition newspapers, TV and radio to raise awareness against corruption; an aggressive campaign to implement the national reform agenda; One Hundred and Eighty active newspapers and magazines half of which are truly independent and/or opposition; Female ministers, ambassadors and even Airline pilots–Is this Yemen? Is this the Middle East? It is true that Yemen needs to be safer, more transparent, and more democratic.
It needs better education, and a stronger, more modern economy; Yemen needs all of that, and more. It is also true that the Yemen Observer’s new policy is to shed the light on everything that is ugly in our homeland, but we mustn’t forget about the beautiful things as well. The country is what you make of it.
If we keep saying Yemen is bad, or backward, or whatever, and not seeing all the good that is happening, then it becomes what we say it is. Yemen is a jewel waiting to be claimed; but who will claim it? We have the reformers, the extremists, the tribes, the moderns, the democrats, the hypocrites, the religious–only democracy and the elections will tell. The system that exists right now is a good one; rather, it’s a good start. Yemen’s democracy is just emerging and needs to be protected so it can mature. But to mature it also needs recognition, development, and investment.
Yemen’s efforts should be recognized and strengthened so that the people of Yemen have hope and opportunity. With hope we sustain our democracy and stability. A medical statistic was brought to our attention recently: that one US dollar spent in prevention is equivalent to forty-five Dollars spent on treatment. That is spending one percent to save four thousand five hundred percent.
This idea is so applicable to Yemen’s case. If Yemen is hijacked by the wrong so-called “democrats,” we will need to spend 4500 percent more to get it back to where is right now! Yemen is the oasis of the Middle East. Let’s all recognize that and support it so that it gets stronger and so the people of Yemen can reap the fruits that are their birthright. Let’s report the positive and the negative about Yemen. Let the truth shine so that investment pours into the country, so that the best kept secret on earth (our tourist paradise) will be discovered.
And in the meantime, let’s keep an eye on this beautiful country and these awesome people as they are undergoing an amazing transformation, the change from a caterpillar into a butterfly.
