Under Patronage of President Al-Zubaidi, Aden witnesses “[FCSJMM] for Free Southern Media that Contributes to Fulfilling the Goals of the People of the South.”

SMA NEWS – ADEN THE CAPITAL
The capital, Aden, witnessed on Tuesday morning the august inauguration of the First Conference of Southern Journalists and Media Members (FCSJMM), themed “For a free southern media that contributes to achieving the goals of the people of the South,” under the generous patronage of President Aidaroos Qassem Al-Zubaidi, President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and deputy head of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC).

In the inaugural session of the two-day conference, which was attended by a number of members of the Presidium of the STC, including Mr. Fadhl Al-Gaadi, Deputy Secretary-General of the General Secretariat of the STC’s Presidium, in addition to several ministers in the power-sharing government, a televised speech was displayed by the sponsor of the conference, President Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi, in which he emphasized the importance of this conference and the media role, which is equally important as the arms, in defending the right and fulfilling victory for the just cause of the people of the South, and wished all success to the FCSJMM and its participants.

Mr. Ali Al-Kathiri, member of the STC’s Presidium and head of the National Southern Media Authority (NSMA), delivered a speech in which he welcomed the attendees at this momentous event, offering congratulations for the convening of this conference, through which a new starting point for the southern media and journalist movement is going to be established, whose history goes back to the depths of the time when the South and Aden in particular took precedence in the cultural and media movement in the entire region.

Mr. Al-Kathiri states that the convening of this conference was not a new thing but a continuation of what was previously interrupted by the ex-authorities that had been destroying and standing against it, and this event is definitely a resurgence that will continue through this conference and after it, referring on behalf of NSMA to put before the delegates of the conference the integrity of the profession of southern journalists and media members for their rights to promote the press and the southern media, which has been subjected to all kinds of destruction and sabotage that today, through the FCSJMM, a fresh start is being made. Therefore, we hope that the young generation of the southern media will resurrect, pick it up, and regain the oath of professional ethics, which was marred by blurring and obliteration during the past years.

Similarly, Mr. Al-Kathiri reaffirmed that NSMA stands with all delegates to the conference and has taken upon its shoulders the responsibility to reopen and reoperate the most prominent media institutions in the South, like Aden Channel TV, Aden Radio, and Aden News Agency. Moreover, it seeks the reclamation of the whole media institutions in all governorates of the South, hoping that this conference comes out with sound outcomes in this direction. He concludes his speech by wishing the brothers in the North to realize that we do not interfere with their interests, but we ultimately deserve to get back our just rights.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Hau, Head of the Preparatory Committee for the FCSJMM, made a speech welcoming all the members of the STC’s Presidium, ahead of them the Deputy Secretary-General, the head of NSMA, the deputy chairman of the National Assembly, ministers, undersecretaries, heads of departments and committees of the General Secretariat and the Assembly, military and security commanders, directors, general managers, representatives of the local authority and state institutions, as well as media members, journalists, guests, and delegates who came from all the governorates of the South to the capital, Aden, to jointly and cohesively participate in the work of the conference and fulfil the goal of uniting the ranks of the press and media in the South.

Mr. Al-Hau said that this conference is taking place in an optimistic atmosphere full of hope and aspiration for a prosperous future for media of the South, under the generous patronage of President Aidaroos Qassem Al-Zubaidi, the top patron of southern journalists and media members, and under the eyes of journalists from different countries of the world, after years of sidelining, exclusion, and systematic destruction and sabotage of the southern media institutions, the fragmenting and negligence of southern journalists and media members, as the southern media today is going through a turning point, immense challenges and hopes that reflect the aspirations of the people of the South to build their independent federalsoutherof the South in spite of the challenges and counter-media that tries to divert the cause of the people of the South from its path, which is based on consolidating the values ​​of solidarity and cohesiveness, and the success of the goals of the Southern National Dialogue and whatever is in the interest of the South and the Southerners.

Likewise, Mr. Al-Hau affirmed that the conference aims to announce the birth of a professional and human rights media entity to be a support for journalists and media members of the South, hoping to come up with historic decisions and recommendations that will be a bright mark in the history of contemporary southern media, stressing to the delegates that the time has come for responsible action as much as the recognized endeavor, the nobility of the cause, and the honour of the profession that we affiliate, welcoming one and all who came to Aden, the capital of the South, and wishing the FCSJMM huge success.

This FCSJMM launched with verses from the Holy Quran, followed by the national anthem of the South, and standing for a minute to tributely read Al-Fatiha for the souls of the martyrs of the South.

The inaugural celebration of the two-day conference displayed a national operetta conducted by a choir from the young blooms of the South, after which the working sessions started.