My interaction over the past few weeks with several public and private sectors has reaffirmed the notion that our society is adopting the syndrome of “wasta” or “influence peddling” to a much greater degree than ever before.
Whereas in the past the use of “wasta” was fairly limited and confined to issues of great sensitivity, today it is becoming an accepted way of life across a diverse section of the social strata as it sinks into our social mores.
And herein lies the danger. “Wasta” effectively overrides established laws and rules. And if rules get often broken or overridden, then a society lives without rules. And if the current trend continues unabated, then truly we end up being an unruly bunch! “Wasta” by its very nature also punishes those that do indeed abide by the law and follow rules.
Each one of us has at one time or the other needed help to get something done quickly or something completed. And when bureaucracy impedes our progress in getting it done, as it so often does, where else can we turn to except to grab on to the arm of “wasta” and swim with the tide to our destinations.
When for example a bright high school student cannot get enrolled in the local university, but some kid with far lesser grades does, that is “wasta”. When someone is caught driving through a red light and is locked up for a couple of days, then that is not. Because for every individual locked up, there is an equal number of road punks who have managed to get away due to “wasta”.
When your newly constructed home has been waiting months on end for the power company to get electricity to your home, and you wait in vain, then you have no “wasta”. But drive around the neighborhood of any city official, and just admire the proliferation of light. And you can safely bet that they had the power supply before even beginning to construct their homes.
In the public sector, hand in hand with nepotism, “wasta” flourishes to such a degree that it has all but turned most public sector offices into mediocrity. The public waits and waits, while in back rooms these sectors are busily engaged in promoting themselves. With operating budgets that match the national budget of most Third World countries, these sectors offer shabby service at best.
Try to get a booking on a busy sector, and if do not have “wasta”; you might as well not begin to pack your bags. But with “wasta” you can get multiple bookings if you so desire. Want to renew your passport within the hour? That can be arranged with the right “wasta”. Want to get your goods processed through Customs expeditiously? That too can get done. Want to get a family member admittance in one of the better government hospitals? Arrange your “wasta” first before moving the patient.
And the list can go on and on. But inherently this kind of behavior fetters down established laws and procedures as we get conditioned into believing that nothing can get done unless we have someone in the know. It has also given rise and prominence to a group of people who make it their profession to befriend people in the know. And in doing so, it tugs at the conscience of those who legitimately attempt to pursue their issues within the confines of posted rules and regulations.
And while the private sector has by and large remained immune to “wasta”, except perhaps within the Human Resources and employment departments of such concerns, the long arm of “wasta” treads itself ominously around our daily life.
As a society we must collectively meet this disease head on and arrest its growth. And to do that, lets just stick to following the rules and obeying the law. And without “wasta”! For if we do not, I do not doubt that I would one day soon wake up, and would probably need “wasta” at the local supermarket to buy my favorite brand of cereal!
— Tariq A. Al-Maeena, [email protected]
Arab News Features 21 December 2002
