Abdo Khal

Okaz

SHEIKH Abdullatif Al-Alsheikh was appointed chairman of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) to introduce comprehensive reforms that would do away with the serious and recurring mistakes being committed by its members.



It is a fact of life that intentions to reform are usually met with strong dissent and dishonest resistance, especially by employees with vested interests who want to keep things as they are and maintain the status quo.



In an organization where thousands of people work, the man who comes to enforce the reforms should encourage each and every one of them to give up his traditional work patterns and support the new vision for the commission. The reformist will undoubtedly find it difficult to convince this large body of employees to implement the reforms. He will meet people who will undermine and cast doubts on him and his calls for reform. Such delaying tactics will definitely delay the reforms.



Al-Alsheikh reiterated his reformist vision from the very day he took over the reins of the Haia. He made this very clear in his decisions, instructions, press meetings and seminars. The “old guard” suddenly woke up and began to impede the reforms so as not to lose their gains and interests.



Such people will make any reformist a target of suspicions, doubts and machinations that are aimed at delaying, if not altogether undermining, the reforms.



When complaints have been made about financial excesses in the Haia, it is the right of the public to know what is going on. The violations and excesses should be made known to the public so that we will be aware of who wants to make this religious organization a means to make worldly gains.



Local newspapers said some Haia members have filed complaints to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha) accusing the organization of committing various violations. It has thus become important to rescue the process of reforms by uncovering those who are trying to foil it.



Nazaha, which has been established to fight corruption in all its forms, has to step in to clear the facts about the Haia and tell us the truth about what is going on within the organization. To be able to do this efficiently, Nazaha has to change its routine pattern of writing letters to the bodies accused of corruption and then keep mum after that.



I believe the public is waiting for Nazaha to come out with facts about what is really happening in the Haia. It should also point a clear finger at those who are working to impede the reforms initiated by Al-Alsheikh. Will Nazaha do an effective job in this case or will it just be content with its old method of back and forth correspondence that has buried many issues of corruption?