Yemen Divided by Noel Brehony

Author:Noel Brehony
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: I.B.Tauris

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ALI NASIR MUHAMMAD AS SUPREME LEADER

In April 1980 Ali Nasir Muhammad was, at least on a temporary basis, president, secretary general of the YSP and prime minister. He immediately set about consolidating his grip on power, and winning formal endorsement for holding the three most important posts in the PDRY. His enemies after 1986 acknowledged his political skills, but saw him as devious and ruthless. Ali Nasir proved more adroit than his rivals in exploiting and manipulating the divisions within the leadership and had sufficient support in the ministries, state organizations and armed forces to outweigh other contenders for his posts.

Ali Nasir knew how to appeal to the wider public. His speeches contrast sharply with those of Isma‘il and Salmin. They are expressed in simple and direct language, and discuss how policies should be applied, rather than ideas and ideology. They did not list the many ‘achievements’ since 1967, but described what needed to be done to improve living standards. A political manager and a pragmatic leader more interested in tactics than strategy, he knew how the PDRY worked, and how to make it work for his objectives. Ministers in the YAR felt that his references to unity were not serious.1

He retained the structures he had inherited from Isma‘il, but operated them differently. He sat at the top of government and the party, and the key people in both reported to him. Power came from his position: chairmanship of the Presidium, and the command of army, security and militia units, central government departments and the secretariats in the YSP. There was collective leadership, but Ali Nasir especially between 1980 and 1982 made the big decisions.

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