Opposition council refused by its members, showing big divisions

By Nasser Arrabyee,20/08/2011

Dozens of groups and individuals refused an opposition council declared earlier this week to increase pressure on President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down.

All those groups and individuals denied they had approved the "National Council" and surprised why their names were included.

The opposition parties said Wednesday they had chosen 143 members representing all groups and individuals of Yemen.

A total of 23 politicians and activists from the southern separatist movement denied their approval of the council.
 
The 23 persons include two former presidents of the south,Ali Nasser Mohammed and Haidar Abu Bakr Al Atas,who are living abroad but inspiring and leading the southern separatist movement. 

"We were surprised to see our names in the list of the council without our knowledge and approval," said the politicians in a statement published early Saturday in the movement website Adenlife.net.

Earlier, the three top officials of the opposition party Ray, denied their approval of the council.

The two  members of parliament Abdul Wase'e Hayel Saeed, and Abdullah Hussein Khairat,of the constituencies 160 and 161,refused the council and denied they had agreed to give their names to be members of the council.

The writer Huda Al Atas denied her approval of the council after she saw her name in the list of the council.

The tribal Sheikh Naji Al Shayef refused the council and denied his approval of the council.

The Arab Sisters Forum  for human rights, local NGO, refused the council although the chairwoman of the Forum, Amal Basha, was chosen as a member of the 143 members of the council.

"the council reproduced the dominance of the traditional tribal and military forces which were the essence of tranny of the regime," said a statement by the Forum.

A group of the independent youth in the squares calling themselves,the national council of the independent,revolutionary,and peaceful  youth, refused the council saying it is not representing them at all.

"The council of the opposition is only a response to the desire of Hamid Al Ahmar who wants to turn the youth and some activists of the civil society and some social figures to soldiers  working him  to achieve his ambitions to rule Yemen," said the independent youth in a  statement declared in a press conference. 

The youth referred to Hamid Al Ahmar,the Islamist billionaire who has been grooming himself for presidency since 2006. Hamid Al Ahmar is widely viewed in Yemen as the main rival of President Saleh and his son Ahmed.

Hamid, who is orchestrating the anti-Saleh protests since the very beginning early this year,is also widely viewed as the most important politician behind the second  opposition council. 

Likewise, the  lady Tawakul Karman, leading protester, was behind the first council which was declared on July 17th, 2011 but  it failed to achieve any approval or recognition.

Both council were able to have support from the  squares where demonstrations were organized for this purpose.