The street vendor was dragging a vegetable cart in the scorching afternoon sun when he offered a motorist a bunch of carrots for SR10. Taking his wallet out the driver handed the man SR10 saying he was in no need of carrots but that he was giving the money as alms. The vendor was furious and threw the money back, telling the motorist in the strongest possible terms that he was not a beggar and that the man should keep his SR10.
This is just one example of many involving street vendors being chased by municipality officials and having their goods confiscated. Why don’t the officials go instead after beggars? These vendors are honorable citizens who, despite being unemployed, have not given up or resorted to begging. Instead, they have chosen to spend the day in the hot sun, pushing small heavy carts and selling vegetables in order to make some kind of living for themselves and their families.
Some sit under a makeshift sunshade selling fruits and vegetables to motorists in air-conditioned cars who have just left their air-conditioned offices. Others, including women, sit on sidewalks selling small items to earn a few riyals. They have not been given stands to sell their goods from nor can they afford the money to rent a shop and get a license. Yet the municipalities continue to show no mercy to these people and do nothing at all to understand or solve their problems.
An ignorant municipality employee who holds an insignificant post steps out of his car to wreak havoc on the street. He starts kicking carts and turning over food containers, spilling the contents all over the street.
The goods may be taken away and loaded into the waiting car with the municipality employee telling the terrified vendors he is confiscating their goods. The worst part of all this is that the confiscated foods are given to charities while everyone knows that alms must come from a lawful source.
Why are these people — trying to work, be independent and lead a decent life — treated so badly? Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed should be commended for describing these individuals as citizens trying to make an honest living.
Newspapers still publish reports of hundreds of vendors being caught and tons of goods destroyed or confiscated. If these individuals are foreigners, perhaps they should be deported. If they are Saudi, then what is being done is wrong and their suffering should end.
