Our bureaucratic behavior, including the society that interacts with it, has become infected with a worrying virus that sickens the mind and heart.
The disease is formally called by the Arabic name “wasta”, or “medium”, which translates roughly as “So, do you know anyone?”
This disease is more prominent in our society than diabetes, afflicting a disproportionate number of Saudis compared to other populations of the world. Whenever any citizen of our Kingdom needs something — some service, a permit, a get-out-of-jail-free card — he or she (but usually he) begins looking for connections here and there; the higher the rank or other level of authority of these connections the better.
The virus inflicts mental damage on Saudis, causing the afflicted to circumvent the logic and rules followed by those who are not infected. Some of those that suffer from this virus ignore it and engage in socially risky and dangerous behaviors, such as throwing money at bribery, causing the virus to spread through the population of administrators and mangers while decaying the entire organization from within.
One day, you or a loved one may utter the words. “Do you know anyone” and you know that wasta has struck again. The question is: What causes the spread of the wasta virus?
It’s complicated, but you can begin tracing the origins of the disease to the mysteriously prolific rules and regulations one needs to follow while accomplishing even simple tasks in a healthier society. The wasta virus survives by giving those infected an advantage over those who follow the rules.
This inequality between the afflicted and the non-afflicted causes a social rift: The sufferers of the disease think they are superior. They refuse to wait like everyone else in organized queues, cutting in front of normal people as if they had a right to special treatment, like a person afflicted with a physical or mental handicap. This is delusional thinking on the part of the wasta carrier.
A friend of mine, a legal expert, told me that, in fact, wasta sufferers exist because of our corrupted and complicated paperwork-intensive systems. People are forced into risky behavior that can lead to catching the disease. Sometimes it feels like there is no other way to accomplish systematic goals.
In my opinion, the best way to avoid wasta is patience. No matter how long things may take or how complicated they seem, a person should have the patience and time-management skills to foresee the hurdles and endure the official and legal process.
Rationality and understanding, coupled with a modernization of our system in order to streamline these affairs, are the best ways to combat wasta.
A system should be implemented — a system that deals with all people equally and with transparency, honesty and a sense of justice. If these methods were applied, then following the rules would become easier than exhaustively searching for the right contact for a quick back-door fix.
These methods are the best way to protect all Saudis from the wasta virus.
