In some cases, this overcrowding turns into chaotic scenes. Even though it has not become a common trend, these scenes nevertheless create a bad impression about our government offices.

A large number of citizens approach these offices to address their grievances. Some of them come to lodge their protest against decisions that apparently deprived them of their basic rights, while others want a favorable decision in matters concerning them.

They also include teachers protesting in front of Ministry of Education offices, demanding an improvement in their living conditions through an increase in their allowances.

They include citizens who form long queues in front of municipal offices to secure ownership rights of their properties.

It was a similar story for pensioners or customers of Saudi Credit Bank or those approaching labor offices.

All these people want to have a final solution to their problems the first time they speak to an official.

A number of academics and cultural figures told Al-Riyadh that this trend was negative, uncivilized and violated existing regulations.

Moreover, this also contravenes the “open door” policy pursued by leaders of the country, when senior government officials set aside a part of their time to meet citizens, listen to their grievances and take action to resolve them.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah himself raised a famous slogan: “Would we have any position without serving the Saudi citizen?”

There should not be a situation where citizens form long queues and crowd in front of government offices in order to have their problems heard. There are no justifications whatsoever for this.

The citizens must have the right to directly enter the offices and speak with the concerned officials. The official should listen to him and fulfill his requirements in accordance with the rules and regulations. The government officials should set aside specific time to receive the public, according to some citizens.

Saad Al-Jaser, a citizen, said people who form long queues and crowd in front of government offices have genuine reasons. “Some citizens may be forced to follow this practice because of the attitude of some officials who do not pay any heed to their complaints or shut their office doors in front of them. Therefore, they crowd in front of their offices and protest about their rights peacefully,” he said.

Al-Jaser urged concerned government officials to set aside specific time to meet with members of the public and redress their grievances.

“There should not be a situation where citizens throng in front of government offices and wait in long queues for hours,” he said, while stressing the need for a special department to handle the complaints of citizens and resolve their grievances without any delay.

There is also no point receiving citizens and listening to their demands without taking adequate steps to solve them, he said.

Saleh bin Jassem Al-Dosari, former member of the Shoura Council, said incidents of citizens protesting in front of government offices are isolated cases. “These are limited cases. Also, this is a new trend in our society. It also gives a strong message to our officials to listen to the views of the public,” he said.

Al-Dosari said that there are several official channels for citizens to resolve their grievances, adding that there was no need for them to crowd in front of offices. He said they could approach the concerned officials. He also underlined the need for expanding facilities to receive citizens, especially in the offices of public utility services that have direct contact with the public.

Talal Bakri, member of the Shoura Council, criticized officials who are allegedly shutting their office doors to citizens. “The doors of the Saudi rulers’ offices remain open to citizens to listen to their complaints and demands. How is it possible then for ordinary officials to shut their doors to citizens?” he asked.

Bakri urged citizens to follow the example of King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and Second Deputy Premier Prince Naif. He said they were always keen to receive citizens, listen to their complaints and take steps to redress their grievances strictly in line with the rules and regulations.

“Overcrowding in front of offices is a negative trend in the society. This is a byproduct of shortcomings or loopholes in the culture of interaction with citizens,” he said.

Ibrahim Al-Sonaid, a specialist in social science, said that a citizen who becomes part of a crowd could fight with other people.

“The authorities should narrow down the chances for such crowding. There should be opportunities for citizens to meet concerned officials,” he said, underlining the need for raising awareness among both officials and citizens.

Mubarak Al-Joyar, a lawyer, said that crowding and creating chaos in front of ministries and offices is an illegal act, adding that there were several other ways for citizens to have their voice heard. He claimed that sometimes such incidents lead to anti-social acts, such as the ransacking of offices and destruction of property.

He urged ministries and government departments to set up expert panels to deal with these types of problems. There should also be impartial legal departments to solve disputes between government departments and members of the public, he added.

Ibrahim Al-Shamrani, director of the education office in Alkhobar, said that citizens should consider solving their problems by contacting agencies such as the Human Rights Commission, legal and judicial authorities in addition to approaching concerned officials without resorting to creating chaos.