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Jeddah flood deaths shame Saudi royals |
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Written by Ali al-Ahmed
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Monday, 14 December 2009 12:22 |
 Last week the Saudi city of Jeddah was afflicted by heavy rains that lasted
only a few hours but caused massive flooding and the deaths of more than 500
people. To lessen the embarrassment, official reports shrank the number of
flood-related deaths to just over 100.
Many Saudis are asking how such a catastrophe could occur in one of the world's
richest countries and in its second-largest and most cosmopolitan city.
This was the most severe nature-related calamity that the world's largest oil
exporter has seen in the past 50 years but the real reason for the death and
destruction that occurred last Wednesday is endemic corruption in the Saudi
government.
Jeddah is a great example of corruption. This city of more than 4 million people
still lacks a sewage system and treatment facility. The rain that fell last week
had nowhere to go but to flood the streets and neighbourhoods, creating havoc
and death in its path.
Hundreds of bodies were swept in the current and up to 11,000 people may be
missing in the sea, according to a report two days ago by the Saudi newspaper
al-Yaum. This figure may be inflated but the number of the missing and dead
surely ranks in the hundreds, and could turn out to exceed a thousand. For
comparison, hurricane Katrina in the US killed about 1,800 people.
The Saudi government reaction to the disaster in Jeddah followed the usual
formula of denial followed by blame of the victims for failing to follow
government orders. Instead of taking responsibility, a Prince Khalid al-Faisal,
the governor of Mecca region, in which Jeddah lies, blamed "arbitrarily built"
neighbourhoods, and not the absence of a sewage system. Saudi media, which is
mostly owned and fully controlled by the ruling family, followed suit and
pointed a finger at citizens who bought land and built houses in unplanned
areas.
This has brought to light yet another fact of life in Saudi Arabia: most
citizens are unable to buy a home. The percentage of adult Saudis who do not own
homes is around 80% – in sharp contrast to other Gulf countries such as Qatar,
Kuwait and the UAE, where home ownership rates exceed 80%, thanks to government
programmes.
The cause of the low home ownership is the high price of land. This may seem
surprising in such a huge country with a relatively small population, but it
results from land grabs by members of the ruling family. Many Saudi citizens
woke up one day to find that the land they had either inherited or paid good
money for has been taken over by a member of the Al Saud. The land deed that the
citizen holds becomes worthless and no court will take up the issue. If you
complain too much, you will end up in prison.
We Saudis have witnessed massive land seizures across that bare country where
fences are erected by princes to enclose hundreds of square kilometres. Jeddah
is infamous for land grabs by members of the ruling family – land that is then
sold to citizens looking to build a home, without the required planning and
infrastructure such as sewage, electricity, water and phone.
King Abdullah has ordered the formation of an investigative committee, headed by
the governor of Mecca himself. The committee will not hold any public hearing,
or subject members of the "infallible" ruling family to its authority. Let us
remember, this is Saudi Arabia, where the Al Saud family are considered above
the law. The king's order was received with praise by Saudi media, who referred
to his brilliant vision – as is the custom for all of the king's orders,
policies, speeches and actions.
The facts, however, paint a very different picture. King Abdullah had ample time
and money to meet the development needs for Jeddah and other cities and
construct a basic sewage system and other infrastructures for every major city.
But it appears that subjects' needs matter very little to an absolute ruler. The
people of Saudi Arabia matter very little as well to Arab or international
governments who have yet to send condolences or express sympathy for the
victims.
Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia 71 years ago in 1938, but the kings'
governments have failed to use oil revenues since then to build a decent
infrastructure in Jeddah and other cities. The Al Saud tribe, led by the king,
has ruled since 1932 bears all the blame for the disaster in Jeddah and all the
government failures for the past 80 years.
No one should blame lazy municipal workers or cheating contractors, or even
senior government officials who work under the Al Saud. Simply, we must blame
the boss, the big boss. That's where the buck stops.
The state of our country is best exemplified by the Musk Lake, where 1,200
tankers of human waste from Jeddah sewage have been dumped daily for the past 25
years. Naming this chasm of foulness "musk" gives great insight in how Saudi
rulers distort the simplest of realities. Musk Lake, not the only lake of human
waste in the country, has been the source of diseases such as dengue fever,
which has killed dozens and afflicted thousands for years.
At the end of the day, the Saudi absolute monarchy will absolve itself from any
responsibility and shortcomings, and its princes will continue live the high
life with very little care in the world. May the dead of Jeddah rest in peace
and may their families find comfort in each other.
Source: Guardian Comment
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