Abdullah Al-Jamili

Al-Madinah



Before anyone opens the door for speculations and misinterpretations, I want to state clearly that I strongly believe in destiny. I also appreciate the efforts of the Civil Defense despite their limited resources. However, the bleeding wound makes us ask: Who killed six-year old Lama, who fell to her death in an abandoned artesian well in Tabuk?



No doubt, the innocent girl was murdered. The culprit was none other than the disrespect for human lives, negligence, the absence of safety measures and a lack of seriousness in the application of rules and regulations.

Lama’s tragic death was not the first and will not be the last of its kinds. The death traps in our country are numerous and diversified.



However, the culprit is always the same: carelessness and negligence.



For many years, unattended camels were recklessly roaming highways, causing traffic accidents that killed a large number of people. None of the camel owners were held responsible. On the contrary, we organize festivals and pageants to honor them and their camels.



People also used firearms during weddings and other social occasions, tragically turning happy moments into sad events. There were no punishments against those who fired their guns except threats in newspapers to absorb social anger. It turned out that these threats were no more than smoke that vanished into thin air until another similar tragedy took place.



While making efforts to pull out bodies of victims from death traps, we should first discuss the causes behind their fall. We should also close these traps once and for all. The means of doing this is by imposing harsh punishments and publicizing those who have no consideration for people’s lives.



Going back to Lama’s case: Can we expect a massive campaign to threaten those who leave their wells open and unprotected with harsh punishments?