Saudi Arabia seeks deeper multilateral cooperation for shared development, says foreign minister at BRICS summit    SAMA announces launch of new e-commerce payments interface    Alkhorayef emphasizes Saudi keenness on leveraging Russia's industrial expertise    Commercial registrations for holiday homes and chalets jump 42% in 2Q 2025    HADAF signs deal to support Saudis in hospitality and culinary arts fields    Saudi Arabia participates in UNCITRAL annual session in Vienna    HONOR returns to Esports World Cup as Official Smartphone Partner for 2025 The renewed commitment will see HONOR elevate mobile esports competition with cutting-edge AI technologies and industry-leading hardware    Trump calls Musk's new political party 'ridiculous'    Israel launches strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen    Central Nairobi sealed off ahead of Kenyan protests    81 dead and dozens missing in Texas floods as more rain looms    Saudi Arabia reaffirms dedication to achieving equitable and sustainable digital development    Saudi, British FMs discuss regional developments in phone call    Riot Games responds to match-fixing allegations in VALORANT    BLAST responds to BESTIA Visa controversy ahead of CS2 Austin major    Christophe Galtier named NEOM SC head coach ahead of historic Saudi Pro League debut    Michael Madsen, actor of 'Kill Bill' and 'Reservoir Dogs' fame, dead at 67    BTS are back: K-pop band confirm new album and tour    Michelin Guide launches in Saudi Arabia with phased rollout in 2025    'How fragile we are': Roskilde Festival tragedy remembered 25 years on    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Nostalgic now of the good old days
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 01 - 09 - 2015


Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi


THE old man guarding the gate of Al-Khartoum University, in Sudan, was reading an English newspaper. He came from a glorious past, when, under British administration, most Sudanese were taught well in public and private schools — in English as well as Arabic.
His son's schooling, however, was after independence. The national government didn't pay much attention to his education so he cannot read good Arabic, let alone English.
A senior lawyer told me that in the good old days, lawyers used to wear suits and appear in their best looks in glorious court buildings.
Today, they could come in the same dress they slept with, and the court halls had not been maintained since the British left.
The many governments that followed had not added much to the country's infrastructure. During the first half of the twentieth century, Sudan had a civilized society.
Its press was free, its intellectuals were productive, and its culture was higher than most Arab countries. The railway system was among the best in the world.
Today, much of that glory is gone. The infrastructure lasted for ages. Until recent years, no new roads were built, the railway system just rotted away, and airports, ports and river transport are among the worst in the world.
In Aden, I visited Al-Jamhoria hospital. It was built in the fifties and Queen Elizabeth attended the opening ceremony.
Those who changed the name never cared to improve the place. The same X-ray scanners and operation rooms' equipment are used today.
Around the city, the best buildings are the ones built in colonization era. Then, Aden was a jewel in the British crown.
Its port was a major hub for shipping lanes between East and West. Ships from India and other British colonies would stop in their way to and from Europe across the Suez canal.
It had a modern airport that was the best in Arabia. Its democratic and educational culture put it on an equal par with top Arab metropolis, such as Cairo, Baghdad, Damascus and Beirut.
Similarly, those cities have seen their best days, then. The British, Italian and French improved the cities they ruled. Colonization may have a bad name, but truth be told, Arab peoples had better experience then than now.
Revolutions replaced sophisticated foreign administrations with corrupt local ones. Patriotism was used and abused by the revolutionaries to give them ruling power over the rest of us.
There were times when Syrians, Sudanese and Egyptians were treated like sheikhs in the Arabian Gulf region. They came loaded with knowledge, culture and prestige.
Most of them were professionals in every modern field. Their doctors, engineers and teachers helped us learn, train and develop. Their media were way ahead of ours.
We would go to their countries like we go to Europe or America, today, seeking better education, healthcare and lifestyle.
Then, came the “free” officers to liberate Arab peoples from direct and indirect colonization. Egypt, Syria and Iraq had national elected governments, but the British and French had a say.
Yemen, Somalia and Bahrain were British, Italian and French colonies. We were promised better life and brighter future — liberated, we would return Arab land to its historical glory.
Fifty years later, we are behind even these times. Looking at what revolutionary Arab administrations had brought us, we see aging cities that have lost their beauty, energy and culture.
Except for the Arabian Gulf states, that were lucky enough to be given independence in good will, Arab countries that followed revolutionary paths are nostalgic now of the good old days.
Aden, Damascus, Algiers, Mogadishu, Tripoli, Khartoum, even Cairo, are not better off now than they were under pre-revolutionary regimes.
Countries in which power was smoothly transferred from colonizers to civil, bureaucratic governments, like Bahrain, Tunis, Jordan and Morocco fared much better.
Soldiers better stay at barracks, borders and battlefields. They have no business running governments. We lost when we allowed officers to rule most of our countries.
They served their best interests, not ours, using every popular cause to stay on longer, and keep our mouths shut. Liberating Palestine was their best excuse.
half a century later, we lost more to Israel than the British had given them. Meanwhile, our position in the civilization map is behind many countries that were behind us.
Singapore, today, is far more prosperous, sophisticated and productive than most of Arab military-ruled countries combined.
As our world is remade After Arab Spring, with people revolutions (not military coups), we need to make sure that past mistakes are not repeated.
Whatever system of government we choose — in Syria, Yemen and Libya, for instance — should be civil only. General and officers must not be allowed to rule again.
Otherwise, we would better be occupied again. Ask Comoros Islands. Those stayed under occupation are protesting now the French independence promise.
They don't want to end up like their brethren whose freedom meant free fall to misery. No more military and police rule for the Arab World … No more!
— Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him at Twitter:@kbatarfi


Clic here to read the story from its source.