We are all to blame for the continuing carnage on our streets and highways. The government entity entrusted with ensuring that stray camels wear laminated belts to warn motorists at night is to blame for the deaths of thousands of innocent drivers and passengers who collide with the unseen camels. The regulation that camels should wear laminated belts is of course not enforced.
The bodies charged with protecting consumers from faulty products and expired food items are to blame for hundreds of car accidents caused by bad tires, faulty electrical appliances and people who are sick from eating contaminated food.
The thousands of people wasting large quantities of water washing their cars flood our streets and create pools that serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects. These people are to blame for many cases of dengue fever and malaria. The municipality must bear the blame for not taking any action to stop this unacceptable practice.
The landlords who ignore safety precautions, leaving open sewage pits in front of their houses and so threatening the lives of passers-by are to blame for the tragic accidents caused by the pits. Also to blame here once again is the municipality for failing to enforce strict laws and members of the public who never bother to report the pits and the dangers they cause.
The most recent victim of these open pits was a seven-year-old boy in Jeddah, Ali Al-Asmari. He fell into an open pit and died while his two brothers watched in horror. What is even worse about this needless loss is that the open pit is located directly in front of a grocery shop but neither the man in charge of the shop nor any of the shop’s customers ever bothered to report the open pit to the authorities.
All these people, whether government officials or members of the public, must be considered accomplices. This is not just negligence; it amounts to manslaughter. We all know very well what is bound to happen if a pit is left open for very long. Had action been taken when the pit was first made, Ali Al-Asmari would probably be alive today.
If any of these incidents had happened in a civilized country, both the head of the municipality and the mayor would have tendered their resignations, all those involved would have been held responsible and the victims would have been awarded compensation.
None of us can be absolved of the responsibility for we are all partners in the continuing tragedy. It is even more painful to admit that we are doing nothing to end these pointless deaths which are plainly the result of our own irresponsibility.
