Aziza Al-Manea Okaz newspaper WHEN people talk about corruption, the first things that come to one's mind are bribery, embezzlement, abuse of power, nepotism, trying to cover up mistakes and so forth. What is absent from many people's minds is that there is a different form of corruption that causes as much harm as the examples given above. This appears when some people with good intentions try to solve social problems through measures that are actually not in the best interests of society. This includes demanding jobs for those who are not really suitable for these positions. Nor do these candidates possess the skills or have the efficiency to adequately perform the tasks they have been assigned. This is due to their sponsors' belief that they are defending the citizen's right to get a job and combat unemployment. They are forgetting that the citizen's right is not restricted to getting a job only, but also extends to his right to receive sound medical treatment, a good education and safe houses. It is the citizen's right that he is not cheated by doctors who treat him. He should not be cheated by those who teach his children, sell him medicine, build his house or provide other basic services. For these reasons, demanding employers to give jobs to those who are not qualified and giving them the responsibility to carry out work for which they do not possess the skills, such as medical treatment, teaching or construction of buildings and roads, is a basic violation of citizens' rights. Sometimes we are like children in our actions. A child wants something without often realizing the possible consequences of obtaining it. We are critical of medical errors and bad treatment, but we are equally angry when the Ministry of Health refuses to employ graduates from some health institutions who are not qualified enough. And we mock the standard of education, considering it to be a backward system and not in line with our ambitions. We keep on comparing our students with those of the advanced countries with dissatisfaction and resentment, but when we find out some education institution has refused to employ some teachers who are simply not up to scratch, we create an uproar. We consider this to be a transgression against the citizen's right to get a job. The same thing happens when we hear some education institutions have set special tests to gauge students' capabilities and sort them according to their abilities. We really go wild when blaming these institutions. We accuse them of complicating education, making matters difficult for our children and only working for financial gain. The accusations continue unabated. We need to realize urgently that a mistake is not corrected by committing another mistake. The problem of finding jobs for youths should not be addressed by assigning them to positions for which they are not qualified. The citizen's right to a job should not come before his right to safety and good health.
