Shopkeepers accuse municipality of humiliating them, violating their rights

Shopkeepers in Sana’a denounce the municipalityoffice’s actions that are destroying their stands, shades, and the fronts of their shops, arguing that the procedures are not aimed at cleaning the city’s streets, but violating their rights instead.

Some shop owners started wearing red badges last Wednesday to express their rejection of the measures taken by the city, denying that the displays on their shop doors constrain passing on foot paths. They also accused the municipality office of exploiting the decision to clean the capital to bully shopkeepers and force them to pay extra money.

Abdul-Jabbar al-Hashedi, a local council member in Haddah said that the municipality should think of alternatives before depriving vendors of their only source of income. "The alternative for these vendors is still unknown and the city has to give them alternatives. We at the local council want organization, not randomness that will encourage more corruption in the Capital Secretariat.” Al-Hashdi said that many of these vendors do have licenses from the city and pay taxes and duties annually.

The campaign to clean the city started two weeks ago, and it includes getting rid of street vendors and outside displays of shops and restaurants. According to many shop owners, the measures are not applied to everyone. Al-Hashdi said that this will not continue and many shop owners will go to the municipality to complain. Then they will pay money, and it is the same old story encouraging more corruption.

“The Deputy of Sana'a Capital Secretariat, al-Gharbi Omran is working to marginalize the role of the local council and embarrass the members before their citizenry. Most of the local council members are not happy with the work done by the Capital Secretariat and think that the campaign should be done under our supervision, but Omran is trying to avoid this and will encourage corruption," said al-Hashdi. To al-Hashdi, vendors are ordinary people and only know that their local council member and this random campaign is putting an extra burden on them, but there are people who are benefiting from this chaos and are also disobeying the President's order by increasing power of local councils. "We are not against cleaning the city,but against chaos. This campaign needs order and planning, but those working on it are corrupt," said al-Hashdi.

Several confrontations happened with Capital Secretariat staff working on the campaign and local council members.

Shops owners also accused executers of the campaign of ill-treatment, inhuman in dealing with them, indicating that they must still pay their taxes and duties, and that they are being treated as criminals and humiliated by the municipality workers.

Mohammed Saleh, a 37 year old vendor said that they are dreaming about municipality workers who usually rob them of most of their incomes. The campaign not only targets street vendors but also shops.

The parliament assigned a committee to look at the complaints of shops against labor workers in the capital. MP Abdul-Malak al-Qasos said that Capital Secretariat and municipality create all sorts of humiliation, attacks, and violations against shops with no further notice or any prior breach. Al-Qasos requested the call to the Minister of State and Capital Secretary, Abdul-Rahman al-Akwa to discuss this issue and resolve it without causing any harm to shopkeepers.

Omran said that his office is open for all complains and that shop keepers were warned a month prior to the campaign. “We are very concerned about the shops and their safety, but some of them have turned the streets to wastebaskets containing all sorts of dirt," said Omran, adding that passers-by can not walk on the sidewalks because they were full of displayed articles and that mostly women are bothered.

Concerning the confrontation with local council members, Omran said that “local council members are not responsible for this and they are only observers." The Parliament must look at bigger issues. "Parliament should talk about and chase corrupt ministers, not focus on street vendors. MPs should read our laws and look at the procedures and will find that they are according to the law," said Omran. He also stressed the importance of coordination with local authority, and that local members should abide by the laws first and not stand in the way. I want the local members to come to me proposing some things that can improve the city. We are also working these days to start parking regulations that will include congestion fees as well as other projects that will make the city look better," said Omran.

Still, the problem is without a solution according to the majority of local council members, and many among them believe that the campaign that started a month ago lacks organization and order.

Related Content

•   Female genital circumcision still on the rise in Yemen
•  Jews in land of nightingales
•   Alcohol sells from hidden points in Yemen
•  IRIN: Fighting in north Yemen leads to fresh displacements
•  Yemen President’s visit to the United States has other purposes than medical treatment
•  YEMEN: Little hope of swift return for Abyan IDPs, says report
•   African refugees to Yemen surpass expectation, says UN report
•   Al- Hujrain, Yemen’s treasure trove
•  Campaign in Yemeni to revolt against Qat
•   IRIN: Yemen coping with unrest - aid workers turn to the community