“Despite the low wages, the job was a dream come true for my mother and I because we struggled to live. Had it not been for the big house left for us by our late father, things could have been even worse. After getting married, my eldest brother who is unemployed, occupied two rooms. “It was then at work that I began to hear about colleagues who were earning the same as me or just a little bit more, but owned nice cars and luxurious apartments. Some of them were even going on holidays abroad. I also heard that some of my colleagues had built their own villas.
“It was at that time that I would ignore my friends who would ask me to be like them and accept bribes. They wouldn’t say it openly but would drop hints and say things like, ‘Lubricate the wheel and it will run.’ There were many temptations that I would ignore but would make the mouths of low income people like me water. These included valuable gifts and reductions in the prices of certain commodities.
“It didn’t just end there, we’d be offered bribes if we turned a blind eye. I ignored all of these temptations despite my desperate situation and tried to carry on with my work in a conscientious fashion that was underscored with integrity and professionalism.
“A few months later I came to realize a painful reality that it is very difficult for a man to resist corruption when he is bogged down in poverty. The small salary I earned, a portion of which goes toward the small car I bought on installments, is barely enough to meet my needs as a single man. It then dawned on me — how will I ever marry?
“I spend many nights with my calculator playing with figures and trying to work out how much I could save. When I am desperate, I find myself thinking about the different types of fraud that some Asians in the Kingdom are involved in. I am torn between two extremes — evil on the one hand which calls on me to give in and indulge in what I have shied away from all my life while good asks me to continue on with an upright and ethical life.
“I am not a pessimist but come on let’s do some math. My monthly salary is SR2,800 of which SR800 goes toward the installments on my car. I spend SR1,000 on myself such as breakfast, gas and mobile phone bills etc. I also contribute SR700 toward living expenses at home. This means I’m left with SR300 if I’m lucky; my unemployed brother often takes money from me. With my finances in such a mess, how will I ever get married, have a family and own a home?
“Whoever said ‘need is the mother of all inventions’ is totally wrong. Need is the mother of corruption, deviation and crime. I am still continuing on with living an honest life, but how long will I be able to continue? Please advise me.”
Signed by a Saudi citizen on the verge of collapse.
