Our partner Amad talked earlier about utilizing the information technology to generate jobs
and optimize the economy
I will shift the focus to something else
The aspect of citizenship
First, I will open with a character
The character of (Handala)
It is a character invented by the cartoonist (Naji AlAli)
Symbolizing many citizens in the Arab World
Whose life is without "Aish" *Aish could mean bread or living in Arabic*
And when I say "Aish", I imply two meanings
The first is economic and how people face extreme poverty and hardships
As a result of mismanagement of the countries they live in, one way or the other
The second meaning is relevant to dignity, liberty and freedom of expression
When Naji AlAli was asked; "when are we going to see Handala's face?"
His answer was; "we will see him once the Arab citizen's dignity and freedom have been restored"
Unfortunately, Naji AlAli was assassinated in the late 1980s
And we never got to see Handala's face
And Naji AlAli never got to see the future he'd yearned for
In one of his caricatures, Naji AlAli used the sentence "I think, therefore I am"
By this, he was bringing back a famous philosophical statement;
Said by (Descartes) in the 15th century
When Europe was witnessing the shift from the dark ages to renaissance
And when he said; "I think, therefore I am", he wasn't talking about..
the routine thinking exercised by us all automatically
He was rather referring to using our intellectual capabilities rightfully
And having critical thinking
So that the citizen, in Europe then, would never be subdued by the church doctrine...
or the authorities that were attempting to restrict their thinking
In few days, we will commemorate the second anniversary of Mohammed Bouazizi's death
Mohammed Bouazizi was not any less important than Descartes
If anything, he taught us that "I am a citizen, therefore I am"
Mohammed Bouazizi had tried to exercise his citizenship right by filing a complaint to the police station
And all he'd gotten was a slap on his face
So he felt that he wasn't "living" and he set himself on fire
Bouazizi died but revived generations of Arabs across the region
I was fortunate enough to have visited Egypt, Libya and Tunisia..
Where the "Arab Spring" took place..
Before and after the uprisings
Lucky me !
The change I've seen there post-Arab Spring is exceptional
But, if there was one thing that stands out for me
It will be the sense of citizenship
Today, the Arab citizens; either in Yemen or in Tunisia can no longer remain silent
Or continue to be a mere tool
Today, for instance, a march crosses over 300 kilometers from Taiz
For the sole reason of saying;
"Here is what we think .. and what we want"
All these things have led me to think of a way through which I can
establish a Link between the youth and the decision makers
And empower the young people across the country to have their voices heard
Today, I knew about Nasser Alhanash, and Shams *referring to previous speakers*
There are thousands, or more like tens of thousands of talented people in the country..
Whose only problem is accessing the means to reach out to others and to us in Sana'a (the capital)
The idea is quite simple;
It is about setting up focal points..
Initially in ten governorates of the Republic
There will be 4 focal points where any citizen may go and report their problem..
stories they want to share..
or even a problem they have a creative solution for
Of course, the internet cafes in these governorates will be approached
So that anyone could get there..
Yet, there is one condition;
Whoever comes to me to complain about a problem in his environment;
Shall bring along the solution he deems right, that's all I'm asking
I believe in the citizen's ability, not only to diagnose the problem..
But also I want to motivate them to come up with a solution
I believe that many people do have inventive solutions for the problems we face
if only given the proper chance
The videos will be posted online..
classified by governorate
There is a new software called "liquid feedback" that allows users to assess and discuss the ideas..
automatically enabling further identification and classification in terms of the most creative ideas
or the somehow applicable ideas
every year, a report will be developed regarding the level of interaction from the governor for example..
the problems that have been solved
and hence, through the website, the citizens will have the power to evaluate the governor
which is vital for both parties;
as it's vital for the governor to know how people appraise him
and where a change is required
meanwhile, some form of a bridge will be extended between the citizens and the decision makers
since no questions are allowed from the audience, I will go on and ask myself
Some may ask; "what weight does such project carry"?
Well, first of all I believe that democracy goes far beyond the ballot boxes
and we shouldn't rely solely on elections every 4 or 7 years,
To bring someone to office and that's it
And then we go back 4 or 5 years later to elect someone else
It is this kind of practice that entails promises like;
railroads and nuclear power plants
drawing on that, I want to allow the people to oversee the officials they chose as decision makers
and the decision maker, in turn, to know that a responsibility is a duty and not a reward
and that people are watching over them constantly
and evaluate their performance one way or the other
Second, actually over the past ten years;
I've heared the most creative and extraodrinary ideas in cafes
or during a little chat in a taxi or a bus..
coming from people I may well never see again
Those people want their ideas to be heard and that's why they speak out
If only we could document such ideas and study them;
We may end up having multiple solutions for intractable problems
Another person may inquire; "but, the internet use in Yemen is limited, why did you select it as the means?"
There are two reasons; first I see this as rather an opportunity not an obstacle
we are witnessing a rapid upsurge in the number of internet users in Yemen
The latest statistics indicate that they exceed 15% of the population
despite accounting for only 5% five years ago
Plus, I believe that mobile phones are a tool that will not only make a quantum leap in Yemen..
but also across the third world societies, with no exception
There are over 12 million users of mobile phones
surpassing the number of those having voters' cards
I want, in 3 or 4 years from now with the growing use and falling prices of smart phones,..
each citizen to have a tool in hand to reach out to the decision makers
so If want to voice an opinion or file a complaint, all I'll have to do is take out my phone and record myself on video
the advantage here is that, in a country with over 50% in illiteracy,..
I will be able to benefit from the wisedom of some illiterate people..
who might haven't had the opportunity to learn..
but have much insight and wisedom
when, for example, I need to know something about the remote AlMahra or Shabwa governorates
You know what they say; "the people of Mecca, or in this case AlMahra, know it best"
To conclude, I can't be speaking about engagement and how to participate...
and then speak for 10 minutes without engaging you
this idea started 3 months ago..
and I currently work on it in cooperation with Lund University in Sweden
and I will be putting it into action in June
and I need your opinions, ideas or rather I need you to squeeze your minds
This cartoon is the closest I could get to the meaning of "squeezing minds"
So, please if you have any input, to forward it to me..
the bottomline is one person or one group can't advance a country alone
finally, I say; this might be a small step..
but don't they say, or rather should say; "the 1000 mile journey begins with ...
a Facebook comment or a Youtube video
Thank you