JEDDAH, 22 September 2003 — The Jeddah municipality, in an effort to beautify the city and curb illegal advertising, has taken the unprecedented step of suspending the telephone service of those posting illegal advertisements, stickers and posters on private and public buildings, wooden and cement bridges and street lamps, until they remove all illegal stickers and advertisements promoting their services.
In the cleanup, the municipality has targeted 473 locations throughout the city that are littered with over 4,900 illegal ads.
Not everyone is impressed. “I can understand them doing that for cosmetic reasons, but these people need a method of promoting their businesses,” said Mohammed Al-Mukhlis, 30, a public relations manager.
Arab News contacted several businesses that advertise using stickers and posters. Several numbers were disconnected for unknown reasons. One teacher, an Egyptian woman, whose phone was working, told Arab News: “Because of Saudization, the schools are firing foreign teachers. We have to make money somehow. Most of us are making around SR1,500 per month and cannot afford to take out an advertisement in a newspaper. This crackdown is going to affect a lot of people, and the students that need the extra tutoring. This is not the solution. The solution is to provide a designated space for people to post their advertisements.”
Most advertisements Arab News found were placed on electrical poles and at various businesses. The greatest number of ads were for private tutoring, school transportation and other such education-related services. House cleaning, weight loss and a myriad of other services make up the rest.
Another person — who is advertising tent and carpet manufacturing on the same street lamp as the Egyptian woman — told Arab News: “I cannot believe they are going to do this. All they are doing is cutting our source of income and our telephone service. If they want to beautify Jeddah, they should concentrate on fixing the roads and streets.”
There is so far no plan in effect to target leaflets and pamphlets that are placed under the windshield wipers of cars.
