Hadramout, Doan: Protests over electricity issues and demands to dismiss officials.
Arabian Sea Newspaper - Special
Doan ((Arabian Sea)) Special: The people of Doan Directorate, in Hadramout Governorate, organized their third protest stand amidst a remarkable popular presence, during which the participants expressed their escalating rejection of the state of administrative and service deterioration, foremost of which is the continuous collapse in the electricity sector, which has become a daily burden on the lives of citizens. The stand, which was peaceful and organized, witnessed the raising of slogans calling for the eradication of corruption and the achievement of fundamental reforms in the joints of local administration, stressing that the patience of the people of the directorate will not last long, and that the demands put forward represent basic rights that do not accept complacency or procrastination. During the event, the organizing committee announced a number of decisive demands, most notably the call for the dismissal of the director-general of the directorate and opening the way for young and specialized competencies to assume leadership tasks, in addition to demanding the dismissal of every executive office director proven to be involved in corruption files and referring him for investigation, as well as excluding any person who does not hold suitable qualifications for his administrative position. The protesters also stressed the need to dismiss the director of the Doan Electricity Department, in light of what they described as "chronic mismanagement," and rejected any attempts to re-employ people who had previously been removed from their positions in other directorates due to their involvement in financial or administrative corruption, without legal procedures that restore the public interest. Electricity File: Calls for Transparency and Disclosure The participants in the stand highlighted their urgent demand to open the electricity file wide open to public opinion, calling for full and comprehensive transparency in this sector, by revealing accurate details related to: Monthly fuel allocations, generator consumption, financial revenues collected, methods and means of disbursement, reasons for the absence of fixed assets of the electricity corporation in Doan, and the conditions of contractors and employees, especially those who have reached retirement age. This escalation comes due to what the protesters described as the continued "continuous tampering" in the electricity sector, which is still suffering from the effects of corruption that accompanied purchased power contracts - despite the decision of former Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak to stop working with them. However, according to the protesters, those contracts are still "gnawing at the body of Hadramout and exhausting its budgets without tangible returns," specifically pointing to the continued contracting with the "Al-Ahram" company, which they described as unqualified due to the age of the generators and the high operating costs. [Image of a protest] The people of Doan demanded the immediate cancellation of the company's contract and the search for sustainable alternatives, including: Connecting Doan to the Hadramout Valley electricity grid, or activating the alternative energy grant provided by the Chinese government. Immediate Results and Efforts for Institutional Escalation The stand resulted in a practical move represented by a direct meeting between the organizing committee and the Doan Electricity Department in the presence of the Director of Security, during which agreement was reached on a number of urgent steps, most notably: The committee and the director of electricity will go to the Al-Hadhba area to follow up on the problems of electricity supply, and coordinate to hold a meeting with the Secretary-General of the local authority in the coming days to discuss the possibility of approving a fixed monthly allocation for Doan electricity, in order to put an end to financial improvisation and frequent interruptions. The participants expressed special thanks to the Director of Doan Security, Captain Saeed Al-Obathani, for his cooperation and positive interaction with the demands of the people of the directorate, considering his positions a clear support for the principle of "security in the service of the citizen." The organizing committee affirmed that it is continuing its peaceful movement until all the announced demands are met, calling on the concerned authorities to deal seriously and responsibly with the crisis before it worsens further, amid calls from the participants for God to improve the condition of the country and its people.
