Al-Watan DURING the time of King Abdul Aziz, a widow came to the head of the Juhaina tribe requesting his assistance for the release of his only son from prison. After seeking the help of Allah, he met King Abdul Aziz in the last days of Ramadan and conveyed the request of that woman who he did not know. He was aware that the prisoner was her only breadwinner. The king accepted his request. The tribal leader, Sheikh Saad Bin Ghanim Al-Johani, was overjoyed by the royal pardon and he forgot the name of that woman's son and he returned to the king and asked him to release all prisoners to help them enjoy Eid Al-Fitr with their families. King Abdul Aziz agreed to release all prisoners except those who have committed major crimes and the debtors. Since that time Al-Johani became famous for taking the initiative to get prisoners released. Later on the release of prisoners in Ramadan became a good tradition of all Saudi kings and that wonderful tradition continues even today thanks to Al-Johani's initiative. The lesson we learn from Al-Johani is that if someone intends to do goodness he should do it for the benefit all people. If a single person can set such a good example, which is followed even today, our ministries with their huge resources and potentials could do much better things if they wished. When most of the ministries take a long time to adopt a decision beneficial to the public, two ministries surprised us by reaching an agreement showing unusual flexibility. The Ministry of Labor and Social Development and the Ministry of Education and the undersecretary of King Saud University cooperated to realize a noble objective, which is to support outstanding sportsmen. They decided to remove all obstacles facing sportsmen to achieve professionalism. The Ministry of Labor and Social Development signed an agreement with the Education Ministry, giving priority to outstanding sportsmen in university admission. They will be given flexible dates for exams and provided suitable methods for training and professional development. We should know that this joint move took place at a time when universities have cut down the rate of admission and cancelled some allowances given to students. The deputy chairman of the Olympic Committee recently announced that the annual financial assistance to be given to elite athletes would be SR25,000 for beginners and SR150,000 to professionals. Those who have obtained a gold medal in Olympics will get SR1.5 million while silver medalists will get SR1 million and bronze medalists SR500,000. Asian Games winners will receive SR750,000 for gold medal, SR500,000 for silver and SR250,000 for bronze. Winners of other international tournaments will receive SR350,000 for gold, SR250,000 for silver and SR125,000 for bronze. The Ministry of Labor and Social Development has offered to provide a new service, which no other department has extended before. It said it would consider appointment of a sportsman by any company equal to the employment of four Saudi workers under the Nitaqat program. It gives the message that employment of a sportsman is equal to the employment of four Saudis who support their families. By doing so the ministry is indirectly allowing false Saudization as most sportsmen rarely go to work and will be busy participating in training and in various sports events. I would say the ministry's decision is misleading. It gives us the feeling that some government regulations are flexible to extents we cannot even imagine. We see a department official taking an important decision on an issue without it being discussed in the Shoura Council. How can the Ministry of Labor and Social Development expect Saudis' acceptance of this agreement when it has not given such considerations to other specializations and professions. The ministry wanted to promote professionals in sports and did not give the same consideration to doctors, teachers, engineers and military officers, who are required for the development of the country. The ministry should not have given special consideration to a particular group of professionals because professionals in other fields such as healthcare and education also deserve encouragement. We have been backward in the area of international sports and games and its responsibility falls on the sports officials. I am not against sports but I am against this special treatment given to sportsmen, ignoring other professionals, especially when there are thousands of Saudis who remain jobless. Values are significant for life and we should not discard them to promote vested interests.
