Yemen wastes time
Yemen's National Dialogue is hindered by a lack of accountability and effective time management.
Rarely does a Yemeni activity start on time. And when that does happen, you’ll find that a number of participants have not yet arrived. A meeting may be delayed by more than an hour because the meeting’s chairperson is late.
Yemenis abhor this habit, but yet keep practicing it. They express the importance of punctuality for meetings with a saying: “It’s an English promise, not a Yemeni one.”
Official appointments and their associated meetings are often subject to last-minute changes. That rule has many exceptions, but they are nearly all confined to the educated elite who have had contact with other cultures. At the general societal level, the elderly are more committed and punctual, without any agenda for their daily appointments, which rarely changes.
One time at a restaurant, an old man waited in line for carry-out meals. He kept repeating, “Order, guys. Shame on you for cutting in [line].”
