Last week I read a story in Al-Madinah newspaper about a man who won a case against the police department and received SR21,000 in compensation. It is true that the man had to go to the court of grievances to get restitution and it is also true that the case took eight years before being resolved in his favor.
In addition, after winning the case the police department paid him only after they were shamed — oh, excuse me, I mean “reminded” by the publication of the man’s story in the newspaper. But let’s not be petty. It is a wonderful story which proves that no government agency is above the law.
An interesting little fact in this case is that the man in question is dumb. In other words, he cannot speak. In normal circumstances it would be regarded as a misfortune; however, in this case it is a good thing because it saved the man from saying anything that could have been construed as criticism of the length of the trial or the way the judge handled the case.
The man could himself have been sentenced to a flogging or a period in jail in order to preserve the dignity of the court. Luckily he was unable to utter a single word and within only eight short years was given a ruling in his favor and left the court a vindicated man.
The case gives hope to all those who have grievances against government agencies, especially the security forces. Justice can be, and is obtained. A citizen needs only to persevere, knowing that if he dies before the case is settled, his children or even grandchildren will someday see him vindicated and restitution will be made.
This wonderful story, dear readers, gives us all heart and from it we learn valuable lessons. One, that we must all have the patience of Job. Two, we must have skin thicker than a crocodile’s. And finally, we must all be dumb in court; those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to speak must get some good-quality packing tape and seal our mouths.
