Saeed Al-Suraihi

Okaz newspaper

There is a suitable punishment in law for each crime and misdemeanor that a person commits. However, what about violations that are not considered serious? There are violations that disturb the harmony of society but there is no punishment in law for them.

If you were to look closely at the violations that a member of the Shoura Council suggested punishments for, you would find that some of these violations have to do with personal choices, but there are also others that cross the line. This reminds me of the story of a man who stretched his arms while on a bus and accidentally hit the person sitting next to him on the nose. The person got mad and the man said he was free to stretch his arms. The person replied that yes, you are free to stretch all you want as long as you do not violate my personal space.

Okaz newspaper recently reported 45 violations detected by a member of the Shoura Council. Some of these violations were simple occurrences such as hitting someone on the nose while stretching. Whether violations are serious or not is usually determined by what is accepted by society. This is something that makes it hard to determine what violations people should be punished for.

I believe that violations need to be investigated and looked at closely in order to determine which violations require punishment. Even though some of the 45 violations require discipline by law, other violations can be avoided by displaying respect for the people around us. We do not need a law to discipline us and guide us to know what is right and what is wrong. We just need to be guided by the good moral manners that we were brought up with.