Common Sarcasm

"There's electricity these days, isn't there?" someone remarks. "Yeah," replies another. "I guess they've made a mistake last Friday. They attacked an oil pipe line instead of the electricity lines. Don't worry, it'll go off soon." Common sarcasm these days among the Yemenis who still see little change in their everyday lives. The best we can do is smile!

Not Everyone is Happy with the Changes...

From the Internet: SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemen's deposed leader says the Arab Spring revolts that swept the region last year brought "destruction" to the nations in which they took place. Ali Abdullah Saleh say Yemen's own yearlong revolt cost billions of dollars in lost revenues. Saleh also criticized what he said was "biased" implementation of the power-transfer deal that saw him step down in February, and said it could ignite a new crisis. This was an apparent response to new President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi's moves to purge the security forces of the ex-leader's loyalists. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A group of officials and religious figures in the northern provinces of Yemen have expressed opposition to foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs. ----------------------------------------------------- Supporters of Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh shout slogans as they demonstrate outside the Cabinet building to demand an investigation into the assassination attempt on Saleh last year, in Sanaa April 24, 2012. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Food Insecurity (in het NLs)

Ene Catherine (sorry, ben haar achternaam even kwijt), een human rights woordvoerder van de VN, verklaarde afgelopen weekend dat de toegenomen food insecurity in Jemen niet veroorzaakt wordt door de opstand maar een humanitaire oorzaak heeft. Hiermee slaat zij de plank volledig mis. De gewone burger heeft het meest te lijden door de enorme prijsstijgingen die een direct gevolg zijn van de opstand. Sommigen zijn hun baan kwijtgeraakt of hebben minder werk (dagloners). Het WFP stelt dat zo'n 5 miljoen Jemenieten acute voedselhulp nodig hebben, in plaats van 3 miljoen een jaar geleden. Een logische conclusie is dus dat dit door de opstand komt. Hoe dan ook, de cijfers lijken een beetje hoog geschat. Een vijfde van de bevolking zou niet genoeg te eten hebben. Hierbij wordt vergeten dat Jemenieten altijd al gewend zijn om eenvoudig te leven. Ook wonen families vaak bij elkaar zodat kosten worden gedeeld, en mensen helpen elkaar ook met leningen e.d. Dus hoewel rondkomen voor een groot aantal mensen moeiljker is geworden, komt er voor zover we kunnen zien niemand om van de honger. I.p.v. de situatie 'humanitair' te noemen, zou de VN er goed aan doen de overgangsregering te manen basisbehoeften in prijs te verlagen zodat noodhulp minder urgent wordt.

Garbage

The garbage collectors are on strike.

Streets are littered with garbage. In the suq, people try to jump over the piles in the middle of the street. But today, men from the army were cleaning up the streets from garbage in the city center. Maybe that's the solution: everyone should keep his own street clean!

Rain!

Mashallah, it rains these days! We had a whole day of continuous rain last week, which is quite unusual because rain usually comes down in the late afternoon and/or

early evening. Yesterday, heavy rain lasted for hours. It's a blessing to see the city without dust.

The photo I found on the Internet. It looks like the 'sayleh' in the Old City. It is used as a street in dry seasons and as a river in rainy seasons.

The Price of Diesel

Now I hear that, although the price of petrol has slightly gone down, the price of diesel has been doubled!

Nobody sees the logic. Diesel is, among other things, necessary for water pumps in the countryside. Without, crops cannot be watered if rain is insufficient. So it seems more reasonable to help the Yemenis - the farmers and consumers alike - by lowering the prices instead of inflicting more hardship on them.

The Price of Petrol

Could it be true? They say that the price of petrol has gone down from 3500 RY to 2500 RY per 20 liters. Still far more expensive than it was before the 'azmeh' (it used to be 1500 RY), but well, it's better than nothing, eh!

The gas stations that were working were extremely crowded yesterday; maybe the people wanted to fill up their tanks before something happens and the price goes up again - you never know in this country!

National Dialogue

Where is the promised national dialogue that, according to the Yemeni interim government, has to solve all the country's problems?

A spokesman for the GPC is reported to have said that there won't be a dialogue as long as there are protesters in the sit-in. And the JMP first wants the military to be reformed. The comittee that is supposed to work on that is still too busy trying to take away barricades from the streets, though.

They've also raised the question who, if anyone, would be able to replace Ali Abdullah Saleh's family members that hold the most important posts in the military. This, apart from the question if all these people actually have to be replaced or not. Wrong decisions could lead to a complete collapse of the army as a national institution, with more negative effects.

Therefore, it will all take time, and stating that Yemen's 'azmeh' is over is, so far, too optimistic.

April Fool's Day

Alhamdulillah, Islam has forbidden to deceive people by telling them made-up stories as if they were true, even if the purpose is simply to joke. And so Fool's Day that is held on the first of April is also haram for Muslims.

Just recall how you once believed a story that wasn't true. Then, when you found out you were laughed at, you felt bad, stupid, silly, sad. It seems that the purpose of April 1 is not to make others laugh, but to laugh yourself. Quite selfish, if you think about it.

Islam forbids the people to hurt each other's feelings, just as it forbids people to lie.

This doesn't mean that you cannot make others laugh - on the contrary. But not with lies and made-up stories that others may believe to be true.