I intentionally added the exclamation point and question mark to the headline of this piece to underscore the question whether Jeddah deserves to call itself a “municipality”.
The pages of the local press are filled with bizarre reports from our districts. Things seem to be getting from bad to worse, especially our pockmarked streets filled with open orange trash bins (feeding troughs for the city’s countless street cats) and stained with the occasional small lake of untreated sewage pumped from the city’s antiquated system of on-site septic systems. Illegal dumpsites are a defining characteristic of the city’s landscape. Traffic enforcement is a suggestion at best.
People are starting to wonder what exactly is the role of the municipal authorities? Where are all these huge projects and great promises that have been made by the mayor?
One of my friends, a well-known reporter, says that when you listen to what city officials say, you would think Jeddah is on the verge of becoming a utopia. Mayor Adel Fakieh should know that Jeddah residents can’t wait much longer and are sick and tired of empty promises. We need to see some action to back up the words.
Shortly after the mayor was appointed I was on his side, saying the new team needs time to adjust. But today, more than a year later, I see that nothing has changed. We need clean streets and residential districts. We need to pare down the bureaucracy. We need discipline, honesty and integrity. Enough words have been said and action is past due.
