The people of Jeddah have had an unpleasant and unfragrant time over the past days with mountains of garbage piling up outside their homes. Following the end of dependable garbage collection, we have all suffered. During the early days, the situation was out of control but efforts are now being made to overcome the crisis.
If one thing in this mess is to be singled out as positive, it is the courage shown by Jeddah’s mayor, Abdullah Al-Muallami. He accepted responsibility for the deteriorating situation.
This mayor’s position must be praised, especially at a time when it is hard to find someone in the public service, even at the most junior levels, who will publicly admit responsibility for a fault. People tend to blame others and if they find no one to blame, they say it is an act of God and so clear themselves of any guilt or responsibility.
For too long, this has been our way of explaining things — pretending perfection or near perfection in what we do. The mayor, however, broke this rule. He didn’t tell us that Jeddah is the cleanest city in the Middle East, that the mountains of garbage outside our homes are the mistake of cleaning firms or his staff or that the city residents are to blame for the problem.
In the past, citizens were blamed for everything. It is the citizen who is to blame for fatal accidents on narrow, poorly-lit roads; it is the citizen who is to blame for the spread of mosquitoes and malaria in the villages of Jizan where spraying insecticides ended the moment attention shifted to Rift Valley Fever; it is the citizen who is to blame for their children being unable to attend college because of their low marks and it is the citizen who is to blame for the shortage of insulin in hospitals.
Al-Muallami broke a long-standing rule by admitting responsibility for a problem the city has had for weeks. The problem, however, is still unsolved and this means there still remains a great deal to be done before the situation is once again acceptable.
