Following the rains that tragically ended with the loss of 124 lives and counting, it has indeed become apparent that corruption lay at the bottom of the horrible tragedy that struck Jeddah in November last year. Day in and day out, the media have been reporting on incidents of fraud and bribery committed by some government officials and their appointed contractors.
In the latest such incident, a businessman who woke up to discover he had a conscience has blown the whistle on himself, as well as on officials from the Ministry of Water and contractors engaged in getting the job done. He admitted that he did not fulfill the commitments of the contract for the Jeddah sewage projects that have run in billions, and added that several officials at the Ministry of Water were paid kickbacks so they would turn a blind eye. I suppose the guilt induced by the death of so many prompted him to go public.
Recently, a Shoura Council report stated that 216 sq. km of Jeddah’s unplanned areas were sold to unsuspecting buyers by criminals who had exploited loopholes in the system, and undoubtedly assisted on the way by the equally criminal-minded officials. The unplanned areas rose in size from 3.3 million sq. meters in 2000 to 29.2 million sq. meters in 2008 due to illegal encroachments on government lands.
Adding to the fray, Minister of Justice Muhammad Al-Issa has stated that notary officials guilty of granting fake land title deeds would face the full wrath of the law regardless of whether they had resigned or retired from their posts. He added that no official involved in such scams would be immune from prosecution and warned that justice would be pursued whether they were still in office or not.
And as Pandora’s box keeps opening, members of a government committee tasked with identifying and removing illegal land developments and bringing corrupt land brokers to justice have received death threats. Saud Al-Shaibani, chairman of the Lands Supervision and Encroachments Razing Committee in the Makkah governorate said in an interview last week that a man had attacked him in his office. He is certain the attack was linked to his task to root out corrupt land practices and encroachments in Makkah.
Such corrupt practices by public officials are nothing new. Over the years, we the people have endured such deceit and theft of government funds silently. But the outrage over the deaths caused by the rains last November have raised the voices of many who had chosen to remain silent in the past.
And it is encouraging to note that the governor of Makkah region, in line with the King Abdullah’s directive, is committed to the task of exposing and bringing public officials to justice. May I suggest some other areas his task committees needs to look at.
One of them would be the protracted work at Jeddah Airport. No, doubt, there have been some improvements. Still facilities at the airport remain pitiful in spite of massive government funds that had been spent. Every traveler knows that what he sees at the airport is not in line with what he hears from those entrusted with the task of upgrading facilities.
Another area would be the poor state of government hospitals and medical care. The often meager or nonexistent services at these institutions don’t match the budgeted amount.
Not to be forgotten, a task force must also address the poor state of our public school buildings and the fact that our children go without educational material. The government has been pouring money into this area for decades, but who is profiting from the rent of dilapidated buildings and passing them off as institutes of learning?
And while the iron is still hot, why not examine allegations from businessmen who have long been complaining of corrupt custom officials, who will only allow the goods to pass after money is exchanged. And we should not stop there. The public also has an obligation to report cases of corruption directly to the governor.
If the Shoura Council wants to be a an effective legislative body, may I suggest that they draft a law making it mandatory for public officials and their family members to disclose their assets. This is the only way to prevent further theft of government funds.
Yes, Pandora’s box is indeed opening, but only public disclosures and appropriate punishment will help avert the tragedies of the kind Jeddah witnessed in November. Let no man, past or present, be above the law.
