Yemen MP Hashid: presidential election comes to immunize “immunity” and legitimize GCC deal

An exclusive interview with Mr. Ahmed Saif Hashid, Yemen Member of the House of Representatives and prominent human rights activist. Mr. Hashid contributed in a leading role in Yemen revolution since its eruption in 16 January, 2011. He initiated in founding the Civic Coalition for Youth Revolution (CCYR) and the peaceful “Revolution Salvation Front”. Beside other activists and opposition movements, he has recently led a campaign to boycott the presidential elections held in last 21 Feb. 2012.

Interviewed by Mohammad Ali Al-Imad, for al-Hawiah weekly newspaper- Issue No. 03

• Many people say that this election is to circumvent the revolution and waste of blood of the martyrs? And you are one of them. Can you identify the nature and quality of such circumvent?

Makers of the GCC deal, including the “election” clause, were aware that it is not enough to issue the law of immunity from the House of Representatives to avoid murderers and criminals from accountability and prosecution and even give legitimacy to Mr. Abed Rabbo Mansoor by the House of Representatives, but they wanted to immunize the immunity and legitimize the agreement through a public referendum process giving constitutional enforcement to invoked in any prosecution before any local or international court; For this, we find that General Peoples Congress party (GPC) and Islah party are keen to raise the rate of participation to strengthen the argument of the referendum.

Thus, we find both sides of the regime, General Peoples Congress party (GPC) and Islah party, have succeeded or on the verge of success to gain what they want, and before that succeeded in turning the revolution into a political crisis with the participation and active role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America and their interests at the expense of the revolution and the sacrifices of the martyrs. It is more than a circumvent, it is a big conspiracy, seeking to abort and steal the revolution and significantly undermine its objectives. It was trapping.

• Southerners position towards this “election”, particularly the “Southern Movement”, said that it will complicate the south issue more than to find solutions, in contrary to the vision says that the elections will solve it .. How do you read that?

The farce of the so-called “elections” increase the tension and feelings of injustice and breeding a sense of oppression in the South. They deeply feel the attempt of both sides of the regime, GPC and Islah, to impose the will of (occupation) on their will. This increases the rift in the social soul, tears the national fabric and creating a sense of political impasse before any serious equitable solutions, as well as, it boosts the tone of separation movement in a manner perhaps pushing some of them to carry arms against the attempt to impose the will of what they consider to have become (occupation).

• Some say that federalism is the solution to the south issue and Sadaa? How the federalism will be solution?

I think that federalism in Yemen is a possible solution within the framework of unity, but even this option seems to be not understood by Islah and GPC, which may limits the chances of its enforcement. Then, no doubt, the alternatives will be worse on Yemens unity and future.

It is very unfortunate that the Islah party irresponsibly deals with national issues and uses means and methods uglier than the GPC during the last period.

The greatest threat to Yemens unity does not come from the protest movement in the south or Sadaa, but from the repetition of Islah party for the same practices and mistakes of Salehs regime, since everyone condemned the Islah exercises in the recent period, as it, under the title of God holiness and unity, intends to terror, mistrust, tear and even murder against political and ideological opponents. In my regard, such practices is the imminent danger on the nation and its future.

• Regarding the anti-election position of Ali Salem Al-Beed, Abdulrahman al-Jafri, Haidar Al-Attas and Ali Nasser, Will this affect the legitimacy of Abed Raboo Mansoor? If yes, what is the nature of such negative effects?

As long as there are political forces on the ground widely support them and their positions, surely this will affect the legitimacy of elections. Moreover, unlike the legitimacy sought to be extracted by the regime through this alleged election, an opposite legitimacy may founded on this wide boycott.

• A few days ago, Abdul Rahman Al-Jafari said that Islah party camps in Shamsan of Aden and Hadramout, “Camp of Mohammed Ali Mohsin,” Do you think this will ignite dissension in the south? Does Islah want to follow the approach of Salehs regime in the South?

As the Islah marginalizes and excludes the other, it also seeks to impose its views, traditions and legacy as alternative by violent and radical means backward. Here, it is not unlikely that it has already sought to establish a tyrannical Islamic emirate to impose its project using its current militia and military forces or these on the preparation and processing.

In my regard, Islah today is the heir of Saleh regime in terms of being the primary threat to the national project. All have to understand that the performance of the Islah party has recently revealed that it is a backward party.

• Saada, Hajjah and al-Jawf have experienced clashes between Islah party and Houthis that gained a sectarian trend. As a human rights activist and political observer, what is your evaluation to the bloody scene in these areas? Do you believe there is a relation between that armed confrontations and what is going on in the political field now?

The war and killing under the name of Allah are the most dangerous to the nations. What is happening in Sadaa and hajjah is financed and supported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is a harmful neighbor and raise sedition and sectarianism. It has been  dealing with Yemen as a back garden to rid off its garbage since the 1980s.

Unfortunately, Islah party with its media and armed arms misdirected to the swamp. It dedicated excision and hostile ideology against Houthis ignoring the catastrophic sequences of the six rounds of war (2004-2010), during which it was a partner of Salehs regime to de-Huthi as a sect, Yemeni citizens and human beings.

Backed by money from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, this type of sectarian and cultural incitement was approached by Islah today in Yemen. Historically, KSA is unlike to see Yemen, but torn, weak and begging, if not follower and attached.

On the other hand, I call Houthis to be more open and interacted with others thoughts and culture, as long as this thought is human even if it comes from the devil.

• Youth in the protest squares of Sanaa, Sadaa and several other provinces and the Southern Movement declared their rejection of the elections, demanding to continue the revolution until all corners of the regime are removed, whereas the U.S. ambassador previously regarded their votes as “uninfluenced”, according to his statement. Is this consistent with democracy and freedom? Is this underline the title of new US orientation and alliances?

It is unfortunate that this happens and such saying comes from a man supposed that politics does not corrupt the values of civilization, freedom and justice. The problem of USA with other peoples is that it puts its interests before the values of democracy as long as this is in another place out of the US.

This imbalance will bring to US a lot of hostility and loss of peoples support . I hope that politics do not lose a minimum of ethics as the means gains its honor from its end.

• Information revealed that the cost of election will exceed the 8 billion riyals, in your opinion why do we need this amount in the election is settled in advance with only one compromise candidate? Are the positions opposed to the elections have impact?

This is confirmation of the abuse of policy. Eight billion was needed as a priority for the Yemeni people, food, water, electricity rather than spending them they called the election a farce. Its serious abuse committed against democracy. Its a big lie called “elections”. It falsifies the consciousness. Its more of a farce.

The corrupt regime of Saleh did not to dare to do it. It is KSA message underestimates Yemen as a democratic republic system.

• Assuming that participation in the presidential election would not exceed 50%, will this have an impact at its legitimacy? What is the nature of this effect?

Certainly, whenever the ratio is less, the defense of pro-election regime, both Islah and GPC, will be weaken. It would enable the parents of martyrs to bring the murderers and criminals to trial. It could also weaken the protest of the parties that boycotted.

• In an interview with Yemeni newspapers last March, you said that there is a wing in the Joint Meeting Parties seek to monopoly the revolution and excluding others. has this wing could achieve its objectives? Are you still has the same vision after the signing of the GCC initiative by the president and the opposition and their allies?

Yes, I mean the Salafi and Jihadi power center in the Islah party, represented by Abdul Majid al-Zindani, Abdul-Wahab al-Dailami, Arif Sabri, Muhammad Hazmi, Saleh Sanabani and other figures of the University of Imman. Regardless the tribal forces center led by Sheikh Hamid al-Ahmar and the military forces center, led by Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, this wing to achieve success, spread and influence within the Islah Party at the expense of the other power centers.

In brief, the political decision within the Islah party is made by the military, religious and tribal power centers makes. We could not ignoring whether there is an agreement to exchange of roles among these wings of Islah to pass its political agenda, especially since some of its members was believed as open to discover then that they only sought to conquer as they appeared not less hardliners than the Salafi jihadists. All of them due to their culture and upbringing are self-dominated and use allies as periodic tactics to be removed then in future, this is in the event they were survived of Takfirism Fatwas today.

• Youth in the protest squares divided about the elections. Do you find you have a relative statistics for supporters and opponents? How do you explain this division?

As the pro-election coalition, notably GPC and Islah with its financial and media mechanisms, went into one front, the anti-election political forces needs a double effort to counter it. But the anti-election movement in the south is influential being confined to the southerners who have their own demands, therefore the numerical majority of the north is meaningless to be compared with its other in the South.

Concerning anti-election position of Houthis in the north, especially in Sadaa, Hajjah and in some other areas like al-Jawf and Marib, was brought as a considerable group who could not be marginalized, especially by the Islah that depends on the imposition of the reality of power. Taking into account Houthis have arms and military supplies. They previously countered armies of two states governments, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

These is strengths of the Southern Movement and the Houthis, which would require the political forces at local and regional levels to deal with them.

The main weaknesses of these two forces are:

– For Southern Movement, it suffers from negative inconsistent multi leaders, contradictions and inability to overcome its past.

– The Houthis problem appears to be lied in their inability to overcome social isolation and inheritance.

Yet, Yemen can not shape its future without the partnership of these two poles, Southern Movement and Houthis. As well as, There are also a strong liberal, left and nationalist forces will have a featured voice in the near future, and Taiz will have an important role in this shaping.

• You are one of those who call for a boycott of the elections. Have you heard the other side view and justifications? How was your evaluation of it?

Yes, I heard their opinion. As I think, their vision exploits peoples fears of strife to pass dangerous agenda against a civil and democratic state, unity and the future of political life in Yemen. Such agenda reproduces ugliness of the former regime, grants immunity killers and criminals and enforces the role of the tribe, military and militias in political decision-making. Its exclusionary, obsessive and autocratic agenda bringing destruction and deterioration.

• Mrs. Tawakkol Karman was a pioneer in the revolution and one of the leaders who calls for a civil state. Have you found a change in its position after her announcement and call for participating in the elections?

I respect the struggle of Mrs. Tawakkol and it is her right to take the position that she prefers as no one has the ultimate truth and rightness. I think she asked previously Mr. Abed Rabbo to acknowledge the revolution and its goals; however the latter have not admitted anything like this yet. Moreover, he dealt with the youth revolution marginally when he regarded the youth just as “a stone thrown in stagnant water”.

Mrs. Tawakkol attitude supposed to be with the boycott fronts position, in return we should not ignore that Tawakkol is still a member of the Shura Council of Islah party, which is, in my opinion, a burden upon her though she was able to overcome it in the past.

• Taiz was known as the Yemens capital and civil thought maker, but it has turned into a central stage of armed conflict. In your opinion, who is behind this shift? Does this mean that civil Taiz moving toward tribal and sectarian pattern?

In my regard, both parties involved with the conflict, who deliberately convert the revolution to a political crisis, are responsible for what is going on in Taiz. In May 2011, al-Hurriah Square of Taiz was burned in violent attack with green light from the back of border, during which killing was exercised sadistically. During that attack, most of the Islah Party leadership and members are far away from the scene.

Taiz is still worthy to restore its civil pattern and peaceful revolution, and I can say for sure that this is what Taiz is going to accomplish.

• Some observers believe that senior political and tribal players threw the game cards to Taiz creating a proxy-war. To which extent you find that true? And how?

It is normal! Taiz is targeted for being the flame of the revolution, the corner and guide of revolutionaries and the cultural and civil city, without reducing the contribution of other areas throughout Yemen.

• Recently you announced the formation of a new coalition called as the “Revolution Salvation Front”, which seen by some people as a direction to form a new political party. How true is this? Do you have tendency to create a new party, especially with the popular mood of the ineffectiveness of current political parties?

We do not think about this. But I think there is a wide political vacuum needs a strong opposition to fill the gap, especially as the former opposition (Joint Meeting Parties) have become a partner in the current ruling system. There is a unique opportunity to change the unproductive and traditional political alliances in the coming future. If the current alliances will remain on the same static situation, I think that new forces will occupy the wide vacuum.