LAST week I made my first visit to the Commission of Saudi Journalists headquarters in Riyadh. The building looked magnificent and impressive from outside but inside it was dreary and deserted. There was nothing that could draw attention inside the building except hundreds of publications warning against the evil of corruption. The books had such titles on honesty and bribes, the perils of administrative corruption and bribes, the concept of the wasta (nepotism) and others. All these publications were made by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha). I do not know why Nazaha has dumped this large number of enlightening publications at the commission. Is it because the commission is its next-door neighbor or is it because Nazaha wanted to avoid scrutiny from journalists and prove to them that it has been fighting corruption? What was clear to me was that Nazaha has given up its direct responsibilities of chasing the sharks of corruption, uncovering them and restoring the public funds they have stolen. Instead, Nazaha has dedicated its time and efforts to giving advice, spreading awareness and participating in conferences, seminars and exhibitions. I know that spreading awareness is important but this is mainly the work of the family, school, mosque, scholars and media. Every citizen, young or old, knows that wasta is a fatal disease in society and that bribes have been forbidden by Islam. A citizen may, however, be forced to resort to bribes in order to have things done for him. Instead of giving advice or spreading awareness, Nazaha should dedicate its time, funds and efforts to opening corruption files and penalizing the corrupt. Is it conceivable that Nazaha, which has been in existence for three years, was not able so far to catch a single corrupt shark?
