One day I was stopped by a policeman for running a red light. He asked to see my driving license and car registration: I did as he asked with a feeling of shame as I was in the wrong. I prepared myself for a few harsh words and a ticket and started thinking how I could possibly excuse my unintentionally running the light.
To my surprise, however, the policeman spared me from saying anything. As soon as he read my name on the license, he saluted and apologized. Yes, that’s right; it was the policeman who began to apologize for stopping someone he had every right to stop and whom he in fact was right to have stopped.
Yet he began to apologize for his disrespect in stopping someone as important as he felt I was. Still not completely understanding what was happening, I tried again to offer my apologies but he allowed me no chance to do so. In his simple judgment, he saw himself as being at fault rather than me.
When I told the story to friends, they laughed at my naivety and lack of experience in dealing with life and people. One of them said such a person as I am, encumbered with many responsibilities should not even stop at traffic signals like ordinary people who bear no great responsibilities.
By not stopping important people, there would surely be a great financial loss to the national economy and would undoubtedly lead to greater losses among the poor rather than the rich.
Based on this logic, I would like to suggest that the Traffic Department issue gold license plates to certain people. Just as members of diplomatic missions have special green license plates so should anyone of importance have special plates in order for them to be easily identified.
To ensure justice and to exclude both impostors and bankrupt individuals who drive expensive cars — as well as reckless young men and any others — the golden plates would be issued only to those whose bank accounts are worth at least SR3 million or its equivalent in a major foreign currency.
The gold plate will thus spare policemen the embarrassment of experiencing a situation similar to the one experienced by the policeman who stopped me when I ran a red light.
This leads me to another subject — the pictures in the newspapers of individuals who have been caught, tried and sentenced for crimes connected with bribery.
It is obvious that the amounts for which these individuals were tried never exceeded SR50,000. Does this mean that what happened to me might also apply to people caught with much larger sums?
To protect the rights and privileges of many people and to spare everyone any possible embarrassment, I would also suggest publishing a small booklet aimed at educating rich people like me who may also be ignorant of their rights and dues.
The book should clearly mention all things that are banned and which were once punishable in the bad old days of poverty when people tried to live honest, upstanding and God-fearing lives. Now of course, we are in the modern world and certain ones of us need fear no punishment for anything thanks to our overflowing bank accounts.
22 July 2002
