Get ready to roll the dice again. The almost off-again, persistently on-again Ali Abdullah Salih has once again signaled his stage exit. After some seven months of his citizens shouting “Irhal, ya Ali,” the embattled president of Yemen is once again on the ropes. When he announced yesterday that he would be handing over power, most Yemenis were somewhat skeptical. The old phrase “three times and you are out” rings true in American baseball but hardly in contemporary Yemeni politics. Nor does “the third time’s the charm” charm the majority of Yemenis who want a major change at the top. Does he mean it this time?
There is something about the roller coaster politics in Yemen this year that makes a perfect Marx Brothers (and I don’t include Karl in this family) movie. When I heard Salih’s latest swan song, I could not help but think of the classic song by Groucho Marx as Captain Spaulding: “Hello, I must be going”:
Hello, I must be going.
I cannot stay,
I came to say
I must be going.
I’m glad I came
but just the same
I must be going.For my sake you must stay,
for if you go away,
you’ll spoil this party
I am throwing.I’ll stay a week or two,
I’ll stay the summer through,
but I am telling you,
I must be going.
Today the press is reporting that Salih will be leaving Yemen for more medical help. Hello, he must be going, whatever the excuse. But most Yemenis are waiting for “Hello, he’s gone at last.” As Tawakkul Karman, the Nobel Peace prize recipient, said in response, “A day with Salih is like a thousand years.” Whatever the actual number, it does seem like he has been saying “Hello, I must be going” for a thousand and one nights worth.
Who or what will replace the self-styled father of modern Yemen is an open question. But the comments of Shaykh Muhammad Abu Luhum provide yet another opportunity for change. As reported in the Yemen Post, Luhum suggests that Yemen become a federal state rather than one with unilateral central control. This would recognize the legitimate grievances of the southern secessionists and also maintain the civil society of the tribes. If, indeed, Salih does officially leave the presidency, events in the coming days will become even more interesting.