Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi surprised politicians and party elites by issuing a republican decree on Thursday appointing one of the most prominent aides of the late President Ali Abdullah Saleh Hafez Fakhir Moyad as his personal adviser and chairman of the Economic Committee.
Hadi sought Moyad’s appointment to help save the national economy and currency from continuing its downward spiral.
On the other hand, the decision was praised by economists. While some considered it wise for Hadi to restore General People's Congress officials and use their experience in rebuilding state institutions, others considered it a smart move to attract the foreign leaders close to the late president in the context of bridging the gap between them and his government.
The appointment of Moyad as an adviser sparked controversy among party activists opposed to Saleh's regime. Expressing dissatisfaction, they accused Hadi of trying to restore the remnants of Saleh's regime into power.
According to well-informed sources, Moyad took over the management of Saleh’s personal funds and worked on investment in companies, banks and investment projects in a number of countries.
Moyad has been traveling back and forth between Amman and Cairo and a number of regional capitals after Houthi militias took power.
Regardless of the role that Moayad will play in his new position, the post of head of the national economic committee gives him broad powers in managing the economic affairs, drawing up plans and overseeing their implementation.
This post allows him to supervise the performance of ministries of finance, oil, and minerals, industry, trade, agriculture, and fisheries.
It is noteworthy that Yemeni economic conditions have taken a turn for the worse with the national currency plummeting against sky-rocketing commodity prices.
President Hadi also appointed Nabil Hassan al-Faqih, another politician who served in Saleh's regime, as minister of civil service and insurance. Noting that Faqih sided with Saleh’s opponents in 2011.
