Newspaper columnists have hailed the apology offered by Jeddah’s mayor for the serious problem of uncollected garbage in the city. The writers interpreted the mayor’s decision to bear the guilt for the mess as an encouraging sign of transparency that will perhaps influence other public institutions which up to now have only denied and refused to accept responsibility.
Though a courageous and unprecedented step, Mayor Abdullah Al-Muallami’s admission of fault and his public apology is, in my opinion, nothing but a clever attempt to deflect the anger and frustration felt by citizens, expatriates and visitors.
How on earth can any of us possibly explain the flood of radio, television and newspaper ads that have promoted Jeddah as a city different from others? Indeed, it is different but what is different is the deteriorating public hygiene.
It is of course all right to apologize and promise to correct the mistakes — but will an apology mollify those who are visiting Jeddah for the first time and encountering the filth which litters the city’s streets?
Will these visitors even think of coming back? How much good will an apology do to people who have to see and smell mountains of garbage lying in the streets outside their houses? Will the apology justify the municipality’s shortcomings and its failure to do what it was set up to do?
Where were those managers who are responsible for keeping the city clean when the problem first appeared? Were they vacationing abroad and enjoying their time in clean cities while Jeddah, their responsibility, was left to sink under its uncollected garbage?
Your apology, Mr. Mayor, is an indication of the dilemma you find yourself in. Having apologized, what we expect now is for you to conduct an inquiry into what has happened and why and then expose all those responsible to public censure — even if one of them is you. We look forward to seeing a clean Jeddah soon.
The bride of the Red Sea has more than a dirty face. If it is not cleaned, the municipality should at least withdraw those promotional advertisements that make us look ridiculous.
(17 September 2002)
