President Saleh hails roving preachers

UKALLA, May 24 (Saba)- President Ali Abdullah Saleh hailed on Tuesday the roving preachers in a meeting with some of them in Mukalla. Speaking to participants in a preacher training held in Mukalla on May 15-24, the president said that it is better for moderate preachers to move across the country to educate people. He also urged preachers to verify the authenticity of any news they are going to address in their sermons especially the Friday sermons which likened to news conferences in their influence on people’s minds. Therefore, he continued, preachers must stick to honesty. The president pointed to the shift toward democracy, freedoms and moderate religious tones in the post-revolution Yemen. He said that while the country’s economy is gaining momentum, the mosque must play its role spreading middle-of-the-roadism. President Saleh stressed that “we lead a nation, not a party or a private interest”. “Leading a country is not an easy task.” Saleh blamed misunderstanding for “recent troubles” in the country, hinting at demonstrations against sales tax bill. He said that the rumors spread that the government would carry out a package of price reforms without raising salary reforms in parallel. The government, he said, would begin by fighting tax violations, job duality and other forms of corruption. AA/AA SABA