BURAIDAH, 5 November 2007 — A cold war is believed to be going on between the city councils and municipality officials in their working relationship over who is managing the services that are offered to citizens.
One council member said the problem is caused by a lack of agreement on defining the responsibilities of municipality executives and the newly formed municipal councils. “The resentment of municipality staff toward the councils is just one sign of this cold war. I can see it in their eyes the moment I enter the municipality building,” said Saud Nahar Al-Mutairy.
“Other signs of this ... is the municipalities’ reluctance to provide information and facts that municipal councils request, comments (by municipal officials) that successful civic projects were due to the efforts exerted by municipality staff and not council members, or just promoting an image of unproductive municipal councils,” Al-Mutairy said.
One municipal member cited an incident during Eid celebrations in Riyadh when Abdullah Al-Suwailem, an elected municipal councilor, stopped a traditional Palestinian folk dance group from performing on stage, saying this was in violation of Islamic law.
“Such behaviors indicate a lack of coordination and disagreement on the exact role the two parties are expected to play,” said the member, who asked his name not be published.
According to municipal regulations, a council member can only object to the running of municipal services through the council meetings. “What the Riyadh councilor did was a violation of municipal council rules and regulations,” said Faisal Al-Mutairy, the general secretary of the municipal council in Qassim.
When asked by Arab News why he personally interfered and did not raise his objections through the municipal council, Al-Suwailem said, “We have raised the issue many times but in vain. The municipal council has a different point of view.”
After the incident, Al-Suwailem was summoned by higher authorities and had to sign an undertaking that he would not interfere in Eid festivities in future.
Building a strong relationship between municipal councils and municipalities is hard to achieve with council members changing every four years. “Getting deep into the smallest details of municipal services will only hinder the activities of municipalities thus creating problems, conflicts and poor services,” said an employee at Asyah Municipality.
There is only one solution to the duality of power, which has created this cold war. “The municipal council should be the one managing the affairs of municipalities. The chairman of the municipal council is the head of the municipality and he should be elected by the people,” said Dr. Meshari Al-Nuaim, a Saudi writer. “Otherwise, the problem will persist. Elections should decide who is going to manage the municipality,” he added.
