Tariq A. Al-Maeena
Residents of this country are occasionally taken aback by events or incidents that simply defy logic. In most cases such events are human generated and not acts of nature. Here are a few examples:
Following the conclusion of the amnesty period, the authorities began an intense crackdown and raids to round up all illegal residents who had failed to legalize their resident status. The raids netted thousands of semi-skilled craftsmen and workers who were contributing to the economy of this country. Included in the roundup were plumbers, carpenters, painters, waiters, tire shop technicians, water tanker drivers, etc, etc.
People soon started complaining that the detention of these workers had led to a slowdown of many required services across the country. And they were justified in their arguments. It was no longer possible to find a day painter or a plumber whom one could bring in to do a quick fix. Or fix a punctured tire.
The situation will eventually correct itself but has many wondering the following: Why begin by targeting the productive elements of illegal residents, while totally ignoring the thousands of beggars who have spread across every neighborhood in the city? The authorities cannot excuse themselves by claiming these people do not exist. They are everywhere, and more blatant in their quest for alms. Not only are they illegal but they are exploiting and abusing little children in front of one and all by dragging them around in their daily ventures. Shouldn’t they have been the first to go? Do the authorities not see what we all witness around us? It just doesn’t make sense!
In the north of Jeddah, one cannot help but notice a huge sports stadium taking shape. I have seen this colossal monument rise from the ground very rapidly over a period of less than three years. It is near completion as I see it and is an imposing structure to look at. The project seems to have a starting and an ending point. Yet a few miles to the west is another government project that has remained dormant for some 20 years. That is the large government hospital that has yet to fully open to residents of the northern shores. That project, unfortunately, has just kept meandering along over the years with very little being done to justify the money spent on it. One would think that the Ministry of Health would have make it a priority to ensure its completion long ago, and yet it continues to suck funds while the large building remains inactive. Over the years, the government has been very generous in allocating funds to various ministries to complete their projects. But some ministries just don’t seem to give it the priority that is required. It just doesn’t make sense.
Ahmed, a sales and marketing executive, adds another of those baffling scenes he encounters daily and has a difficult time comprehending. He says: “How about the observation of the day? It can be anything one notices, whether a particular behavior in the community or simply wondering why something was built in a certain way. So here is my observation of the day: I wonder why traffic lights that have Saher cameras installed to trap signal light violators do not have counters that count down the time to the light change? Yet where there are no cameras, the reverse is true. Is this a coincidence or is it a diabolical way to collect more traffic fines? I wonder!”
Well Ahmed, you are certainly not alone in wondering. There are many motorists who just do not understand the reasoning behind such a traffic light setup. These are but a few examples of things that don’t make sense. Give it a few moments and I am sure that you will come up with quite a few yourself.
— The author can be reached at talmaeena@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena
