Abdo Khal

Okaz

 

JUST about a year ago, President of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) Dr. Abdullatif Aal Al-Sheikh banned the Haia staff from chasing suspects. Al-Sheikh's order was implemented for some time, but soon the Haia staffers chose to ignore it.



With new reports of Hai’a staff chasing suspects appearing in the media, there are fears that Haia chief's orders are disobeyed with impunity by some staffers who, obviously, get their thrills by chasing suspects.



There are no firm and rigid rules to deter such staff. The maximum punishment is a salary deduction of a day or two. The Haia does not have deterring punishments in its books, no matter how serious the violation may be. The president does not have the power to dismiss, transfer or punish any staffer according to the magnitude of his crime. When the damages caused by Haia members are serious and become public, the culprits are referred to the concerned judicial organs.



We know that all the law enforcement agencies have disciplinary councils to investigate and suggest appropriate punishment for their guilty staff.



These councils are found in the judiciary, the police, the attorney general's office, the army, the ministries and others. Why is the Haia exempted from having a disciplinary council?



Why does not the Haia chief be given powers to constitute such a council to assess the damages and punish violators? The Haia should deal with its staff like any civil service body. When the Haia is exempted from rules and regulations of the law enforcement organs, its members can and will do whatever they choose to without fear of punishments.



I am really astonished that the Haia chief is not given enough disciplinary powers to achieve the sound objectives of the organization.  As head of the organization, Al-Sheikh simply is not been given the means to do his job properly.



A Haia staffer as considered a law enforcement officer and should, therefore, be committed to the rules and regulations of the law enforcement organs. When this happens, the member will think twice before committing any violation. If this does not happen, the Haia members will continue to disregard the law and will not stop chasing suspects and causing accidents.



My suggestion to give the Haia the power to penalize its members is also shared by many. I am also quoting a Haia chief's statement to a local daily newspaper wherein he said he did not have the powers to inflict appropriate punishment on his erring personnel.