Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh anticipated the announcement of his initiative for reform by corroborating his conviction in that it will be rejected by the opposition. Saleh did not reveal the reason which prompted him to voice this expectation, but we assume he is right for many reasons. Just like the proposals presented by Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak in their speeches following the eruption of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions, what Saleh proposed was too little, too late, in comparison with what is believed to have become at the core of the demands of the Yemeni oppositionists. The implementation of a parliamentary system and the separation of powers, and the staging of a referendum over a new constitution before the end of the current year, would have been appealing had they been presented by the Yemeni president over two years ago. Today however, they are a mere attempt to “do the right thing” - as he said – while being aware of the fact that it has become too late for initiatives of that sort and on such levels. For its part, the opposition did not disappoint him and perceived the announcement as being a “declaration of death” for Ali Abdullah Saleh's regime. In Morocco, King Mohammed VI proposed a reform including the separation of powers and the enhancement of the position of the prime minister, without reaching the level of approving the transformation into a constitutional monarchy with the full separation of powers, as it was demanded by the opposition. Consequently, it would be safe to say that the King's call will not succeed in containing the feelings of disgruntlement and the rising demands to see change and reform in Morocco. Saleh did not reach the core of the Yemeni opposition movement's demands. Moreover, it would not be an exaggeration to expect the increase of the feelings of anger on the street due to the initiative that did not feature any palpable vision to resolve the problems of unemployment, poverty, the secessionist demands of the South and the Houthis issue. The initiative jumpled over the calls of the protesters in Sana'a and the demonstrators in Aden, thus featuring the idea of the separation of powers which should have been adopted since the first years of unity, if not since the revolution of Abdullah al-Sallal. On the other hand, the exit of the Islamic Action Front in Jordan from the dialogue with the authorities, pointed to the difficulty of reconciling the “offered” political concessions that the authority can handle and the “demands” of the powers engaged in the dialogue. The governments' biggest problem is that the Tunisian, Egyptian and Libyan revolutions presented models which the oppositionists cannot recant and to which the governments cannot respond. The continuation of the peaceful demonstrations until the fall of the regime – the way it was done by the Tunisians and the Egyptians – or the response to the authority's violence with equal violence by accepting the challenge raised by the ruler to divide the country into tribes and provinces – the Libyan style – have become acceptable among the Arab factions that are rejecting and protesting against the status quo. On the other hand, what is enhancing the meagerness of the authority's offer – as it is trying to propose financial gains and to improve the social conditions of the vulnerable factions threatened of sliding toward utmost poverty – is the fact that this offer does not include any real participation in the authority or the decision-making process, while the citizens firstly want to be recognized as people with rights and not beneficiaries from profits and pardons excluding the political detainees, such as the pardon issued in Syria a few days ago. None of those in power in our countries have realized the seriousness of the widening of this gap, and its ability to swallow up many ruling regimes. This is true despite the fact that many believe – and rightfully do so – that it is a wave sweeping the entire Arab world. As for the less smart, they started promoting it while believing that the winds of change will blow over their heads without moving one hair.
