The foundation is the essence of any institutional or national endeavor. No structure rises without a firm base, and no project is destined to endure if it lacks a clear vision and long-term planning. What we suffer from today in our institutions — whether domestic or external — is the absence of this foundation, in favor of narrow interests of a personal nature, whether at the level of individuals or groups, or ideologically driven and funded from abroad.
One of the most dangerous threats to nations is not the external enemy, but that enemy who lives among us, speaks in our name, and takes on our colors, while working only for the benefit of a faction or party that cares nothing for the homeland, the citizen, or the sacrifices this people have made. What truly matters to them is how to please their patrons and secure the continuation of their gains, whatever the cost.
Unfortunately, the culture of glorifying individuals rather than achievements has fundamentally contributed to letting such people go on without shame or embarrassment, imagining that their position is an acquired right that cannot be touched. The result was a nurturing environment for mercenaries feeding off the nation's wounds.
What is happening in the homeland today calls for us to say it clearly: the time has come to work seriously, and to launch an organized national project built on sincere, living souls. Resources are not scarce if sincerity exists, but they are being plundered and stolen, leaving nothing for the homeland but crumbs. The absence of conscience — foremost among it integrity and sincere intention — is what has deepened our crises. As for external support, it serves their interests, not ours, and the current state of affairs is proof enough.
Instead of joining hands to rise, we have witnessed a slide toward mutual accusations, treason-labeling, and waving the banner of collaboration from every side, feeding the depth of ideological rivalry, built on the grudges and conflicts of the past, and fueled by the nation's plundered wealth.
As for the false rhetoric that throws dust in people's eyes, it will find no nurturing ground among the aware sons of the people.
We must fully realize that the homeland will not be built by the hands of those who sold their positions, and were paid for their loyalty in foreign currency, apartments, or beach chalets in other countries. Nor will it be built by those who hold foreign citizenship while occupying sovereign positions in a homeland mortgaged to the outside.
Yemen could have rivaled the greatest economies, were it not that corruption stole its opportunities for progress. Yemen lacks neither minds, nor a workforce, nor real financial resources — what it lacks is sincere intentions and the truly devoted. And how many thieves emerge when conscience is absent, and loyalty to the homeland is replaced by narrow, repugnant loyalties.
From here, it is essential to enact clear laws preventing dual citizenship, and preventing holders of foreign passports from assuming sovereign positions. Accountability must also be enforced against thieves, and legal provisions must be strengthened — not the kind written in ink erased by the passage of time — for these are among the most prominent causes of dependency on foreign powers and the loss of national decision-making.