Although King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has set up a high-level committee to investigate the catastrophic flash floods in Jeddah last week, public anger has failed to die down with officials from municipalities accused of corruption, neglect and indifference. King Abdullah also ordered that the family of each of the flood disaster's victims be compensated with one million Saudi riyals. A committee chaired by Prince Khaled Bin Faisal, Emir of Makkah, will hold its first meeting Saturday. Al-Watan Arabic newspaper said the investigation would be retroactive and include both current and former staff in various departments. The Monarch's decision sparked a barrage of compliments and praise from newspapers and websites. Al-Watan likened the King's decision to call for a war on corruption to the war on terror declared by former US President George Bush following the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Al-Watan's editorial on Wednesday said, “what happened in Jeddah cannot in any way go unnoticed nor can more than 100 martyrs have died in vain.” “It is a historic decision that strengthens the principle of transparency and acts as a salve that heals the wounds created by the flood disaster, wrote Al-Riyadh, adding that “the Royal decision put things in their perspective and brought a smile to those affected as the King's resoluteness wipes the Mermaid's tears” in reference to Jeddah's nickname (Mermaid of the Red Sea). Meanwhile, in a statement to Okaz, the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh, urged the commission to make sure to show the truth and give the results to the King. The National Society for Human Rights praised the Royal Order, calling it “a just humanitarian gesture to the victims' families, which is characterized by courage and clarity.” The human rights body told Al-Hayat newspaper about the “poor performance” of the General Presidency of Meteorology and Environment besides the Civil Defense which was late in reaching the affected areas. It also cited the absence of Red Crescent teams and the lack of accommodation, food and health care for residents of some flood-damaged areas. In Al-Hayat, Badriya Bashar wondered: “Do Jeddah's problems concern the city alone or could the same thing happen in other cities in Saudi Arabia, God forbid?” “The war on corruption, which has been waged by King Abdullah since he took the helm, is a fierce war that will not bear fruit in one day and night nor will it succeed if it only deals with temporary crises that end in sacrificing some people in order to relieve pain and alleviate anger,” said Bashar. “Many a crises have occurred without placing blame on any official, but rather in giving unprecedented protection to the accused. Not a single minor official was sacrificed in those crises because if convicted, they would drag down a number of officials with them. The minor official can say that he was cleared of responsibility the day he submitted his report and nobody took it into consideration. __
