The Shoura Council on Monday called for a full investigation into why one of its members was left lying dead on the street in the Saudi capital for three hours Sunday night before a forensic team arrived to examine the body. Shoura Council member Mansour Abdulghaffar succumbed to a heart attack as he was out for an evening jog near his house in the upscale Olaya district. Motorists and pedestrians saw his body lying unattended on the street even after security patrols, an ambulance, and traffic cops arrived at the scene. None of the officials attended to the body for three hours as they waited for a forensic team to arrive as per the procedure in such cases, said Shoura members who were present at the scene. Abdulghaffar was inducted into the Shoura Council, Saudi Arabia's consultative body, in 2000. As a representative of the Shoura, he was chairman of the Arab Commission to find ways to develop, encourage and protect investments in the Arab World, member of the Arab Parliament and also member of the Economic and Finance Commission in the Transitional Arab Parliament. Among the many posts he held throughout his illustrious career were director of Tabuk Education Department, general secretary of the Eastern Province Customs, assistant director of Customs, director of Zakat and Income Agency. In addition, he chaired many government committees. On Monday, the Shoura Council session here was marked by members expressing their outrage and contempt for the manner in which a dead body is treated on our streets. It is a mandatory custom in Islam to respect the dead. “Is it true that we have reached such a state?” said a tearful member, Dr. Bandar Al-Hajjar, during the session. Al-Hajjar also chairs the National Society for Human Rights. “How can a dead man be left lying on the street for three hours? If this is the plight of a Shoura Council member, what then would happen to the common man out there?” Al-Hajjar said, calling upon the higher authorities to intervene and ensure that such an outrageous incident never happens again. Responding to members' requests, Shoura President Sheikh Saleh Bin Humaid asked the Council's Health and Security committees to urgently investigate the case. Council members said the incident was a clear reflection of how the performance of government agencies has deteriorated. At the outset of the session, Dr. Bin Humaid offered the condolences of the council to the families and relatives of Abdulghaffar. Abdulghaffar was the fifth Shoura member to die in office. The other were Vice President Mahmood Taibah, Secretary General Dr. Saleh Al-Malik, Dr. Basem Al-Ibrahim and Dr. Salem Al-Quraishi. - Okaz __
