Armies of Liberation

Yemen Observer

The Parliament agreed Wednesday to form a 50-member committee to address political tensions and other problems throughout the country.
This committee will be formed as a result of suggestions from MP Hussein al -Ahmar, who said the country is passing through a difficult period these days, and citizens are living in difficult situations.

Many voices are speaking out in ways that threaten national unity, security, and stability, said Ahmar. These complaints about the country result from the poor conditions in which many people live.
Al-Aahmar called on the committee to visit all the provinces to meet important citizens in order to understand their concerns and problems, and to work to find solutions.

MP Nabil Basha, of the GPC,said that the GPC Bloc approved a small, seven-member committee to draft the agenda of the expanded 50-member committee and identify issues to be discussed and included in the agenda.
“We heard about the problems affecting the national unity of the country, so we formed an expanded committee of Parliamentarians to find facts about these events away from the exaggeration, reasonably, and objectively because the issue does not belong to the ruling party, but is an issue concerning the nation in general,” Basha said.

“It is necessary to accept these problems, because this recognition is the beginning of the right path to find solutions to these problems. “The majority parliamentary bloc, the GPC, does not have the arrogance not to recognize the problems and not to exaggerate, as it wouldn’t allow some people to use their fair rights for legal purposes,” Basha added.

MP Ali Ashaal, of the Islah party said that the idea is good, “although it came late, and I hope this committee is formed because of the responsibility towards what is going on in the country and not to achieve personals benefits.” Goals must be set and the issues clearly defined, so the committee will be able to give strong recommendations to the government.

MP Sakher al-Wajeeh, an Independent, supported his colleague Ashaal in setting the goals of the committee. Al- Wajeeh suggested that the committee also address the issues of military and civilian retirees, and the seizing of private land in the southern governorates and in al-Hodeida Governorate.

MP Saleh al-Sanabani, of Islah, endorsed the functions proposed by al-Wajeeh, and added that the committee should also address the high prices of consumer goods, and the grievances of prisoners. Abdul-Wahab al-Aansi, Secretary-General of the Yemeni Islah party, preferred not to talk about the complaints of the military retirees, which he said harm national unity.

“We should turn the talk in this case to work seriously and sincerely to take away any opportunity to those who want to damage security and stability in Yemen, and to those who try to avert the claims of retirees to other tracks that are not real issues, there are people who want to benefit from this issue,” al-Aansi said.

Former Prime Minister Abu Bakr al-Attas has said that there should be a referendum on national unity. But al-Aansi said that there was already a referendum on unity when the constitution was formed in 1991.

“We in the Joint Meeting Parties are not with the wrong policies of the ruling party, which have produced such tensions, but we also are not with those who want to fan the fires to clarify their way to harm the unity,” al-Aansi said.

“We strongly support demands of military and civilian retirees, as they are lawful and legal,” he added. He said that the Parliament is one of the reasons for the problems and tensions in the state, because it has not fulfilled its duty as required.

Al-Aansi denied that there was a connection between the marginalization of the Yemeni Socialist Party and the existence of these problems.
He also said that the problems are not only in the southern governorates, but also in all of the country.

“But there may be some specific problems in southern provinces, because of the historical background to it, as some of the reasons and other factors,” he said. Civil society organizations in several governorates have expressed disapproval of people speaking against unity. People across the Lahj governorate have said that some people are being paid to create problems with national unity. But they have not said who would be paying these people.

“The sons of the Lahj governorate know the truth and the objectives of these elements, and we would not allow any conspiracy to harm the homeland and its unity, security, and stability,” said a statement issued by the political parties and organizations and civil society organizations.

Some people in the Abyan governorate expressed their total rejection of all attempts by people who are paid by those who want to encourage troublemaking for homeland and want to damage its unity, security, and stability.

“The continued escalation of the issue of retirees, in light of the procedures taken by the State to address the issues in the framework of the law, reveals the reality of good intentions on the part of the government. People who harm the unity exploit this issue and other issues for their own purposes and schemes,” said a statement issued by the political and cultural organizations in the governorate of Abyan.

A statement issued by the national, political, social, and cultural organizations in the province said that what they see as combining elements from outside the province is an abuse of the history and of the struggle of the people in this province.

On July 7, a large demonstration took place in Aden. It was attended by thousands of retired military personnel, who asked for their return to military service, and money owed them by the government. The demonstration included many people chanting slogans against unity.

Days before the demonstration, the president decided to return to work 1,000 officers who want to return to the military service, with the payment of all financial dues from 1994 on. This will be dealt with by field committees formed by the Ministries of Defense and Interior.