The Aden Chamber of Commerce holds an expanded meeting to discuss the economic situation
SMA NEWS – ADEN THE CAPITAL
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Aden the capital, held a expanded meeting gathered representatives of the chambers of commerce in the liberated governorates, Businessmen and Women’s Club, the Association of Banks, and the Money Exchangers Association.
In the meeting, the President of Aden Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Abu Bakr Baobaid, confirmed that the private sector that is meeting today is one row, one tongue, and one heart, and is not satisfied with the economic collapse that is happening in the country, indicating that we are with the state that serves everyone, including the private sector, stressing that We are facing two options without a third: whether continuing the collapse or stopping the collapse now.
He added: We have a religious duty and a moral duty, and we came here to stand up to what the people are suffering and to develop solutions to the deteriorating economic and commercial situation.
Baobaid called for disbursing salaries, even if they do not meet the needs, but they provide psychological stability for the people and the parties with whom he deals with his needs, and if the state officials do not fulfill their duty in this matter, what is their benefit? We only want them to carry out their duties.
He addressed the audience: “You here represent the people, the government, and the private sector, and we must come out of the meeting with a statement of position, opinions, and proposals for the state, and if they act on them, then we have done what we have to do. Then what do we do in the second meeting? Do we escalate? For each incident, there is another discussion.
Baobaid continued: “We look forward to a stable country commercially, economically and developmentally, a country in which the citizen is not humiliated and we provide him with what he needs to survive. Otherwise, what would we do with the country?”
A speech by the Businessmen Club, delivered by Talaat Mohammed Saif, called on the government to adopt a transparent program that determines spending, operating the port and refineries, supplying oil resources to the Central Bank, and fighting corruption and mismanagement. He also called on the brothers and friends in other countries to provide the necessary support in various aspects.
As for the speech of the Association of Banks, which was delivered by Shakib Aliwa, Executive Vice President of CAC Bank, he said: “We must help ourselves and then others will help us, reviewing the deteriorating situation in the country and its worsening, attributing this to the fact that the government and the central bank are without resources, pointing out that moving the central bank and floating the local riyal were major mistakes, stressing: “We do not count on the coalition before we help ourselves.”
A speech of the Association of exchangers also delivered by Mohammed bin Awadh, who pointed out to the suffering of the people due to collapse of the local currency in addition to the stop of salaries of governmental institutions and reflected badly on people lives, calling to get suitable solutions for the stability of the currency and for a serious position to help the people and the country.
The meeting was enriched by a number of interventions and discussions by the participants, and witnessed the issuance of an important statement regarding the collapse of exchange rates and the worsening economic conditions, called in its contents to finding a quick solution to the collapse of the value of the local riyal, and to work seriously with the coalition countries in order to find solutions to intractable economic and financial issues, and achieving a settlement in the salaries and wage structure, in addition to forming a participating body of governments, the private sector, civil society, and the local authority to follow up on the emergency plan to save the situation, besides seeking assistance from donors and the coalition to place a security deposit of $50 million for importing goods.
The statement call not to blame the privet sector of what is going on of economy collapsing as it is the main provider of food, and was and still the main support of the people in critical times and events that the country has gone through.
The statement appealed to the Presidential Leadership Council, the government, and the leadership of the Arab coalition, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to save country from the difficult and critical situation that it is going through as a result of the accumulations and challenges that continue to kill the citizens and worsen his live.