People in this country continue to suffer from that old illness known as “lack of coordination.” It dates from the early days of the Kingdom’s development when the entire country was turned into a huge workshop that reshaped the face of everything over the years.
From that time until now, whenever we embark on a project to provide our cities with basic services such as electricity, water, telephones or whatever, you see all those involved in the project working independently of the others.
A company providing one aspect of service waits until the others finish their work and repair the damage to our streets and then start doing their job which causes even more damage to the same area. It is only after earth removing, filling and asphalting operations have been finished that others providing another service will move on, ripping open the very street that a construction company has just finished the day before.
The municipality, which is responsible for fixing our streets, ceaselessly issues permits to construction and service companies to carry out work, both temporary and long-term, without drawing up plans to ensure coordination among the different companies.
Lack of coordination is also a feature in government offices which are supposed to facilitate the daily needs of the public. Applying for a license for a small shop requires reporting to the municipality, Ministry of Commerce, civil defense, courts, electricity, water and other service offices — all located tens of kilometers apart.
The applicant has to criss-cross the city, traveling long distances through thick traffic just to get a paper signed or stamped. Decades-old regulations remain unchanged, never amended to cope with the rhythm of our modern lives and facilitate people’s affairs. Government departments have never thought of coordinating among themselves by having their buildings all in one place or even located within walking distance of each other.
This is a problem that will take generations to solve if things are allowed to continue the way they are now. The problem shows a constant failure on the part of all these institutions to respond to people’s needs in an efficient way.
Hopes are pinned on the forthcoming elected municipality councils, which must genuinely seek to address this issue. The Shoura Council, too, must work closely with the councils and start reviewing and reforming existing laws and regulations governing the work of government offices in order to spare the public this continuous torture. The municipality councils must work to end duplication and lack of coordination — first things first. People want to see their pressing needs treated with a sense of urgency. These are not simple matters but basic issues that deserve serious attention and treatment.
