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Cry for dignity

By Salama A Salama

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Disasters have been coming thick and fast of late. Most of the time, they are but the outcome of gross negligence and glaring incompetence. The tragedy in Moqattam was but the latest incident. The government ignored one warning after another, as randomly built housing spread over the edges of a crumbling plateau. It could have happened earlier. It might have taken longer. But it had to happen in the end.

Now our politicians are incensed that flak is coming their way yet again. Our high and mighty officials are indignant that the public is calling their names. What else did they expect? The crazy thing is that some of them are finding the public at fault. The reason there is a backlash against the government, say some, is that the public is not patriotic enough. A good and patriotic public would have been more polite. A good and patriotic public would have been nicer to us. What a load of nonsense.

Only weeks ago, we had a fire in the Shura Council. And the government immediately came under fire. Was the public unfair? Some officials seem to think so. A man stood the other day on the floor of the People's Assembly and demanded retribution. He didn't demand retribution against those whose negligence led to one tragedy after another. He demanded retribution against the public. Speaking in tones of high indignation, the man demanded an investigation into what the critics are saying. He demanded punishment for those who had harsh words for the government. He equated criticism of the government with treason. Great! This is the kind of attitude that we need! Let's silence the critics and there will be no more negligence and no more tragedy!

To such a person and to those who think along the same lines, I have one thing to say. The ones who seem to be gloating at the government's failure are perhaps the most patriotic of us all. The ones who lose their top when top officials lose their grip on reality are perhaps the best of us all.

People don't criticise the government because they are vicious. People don't lampoon top officials just for fun. Harsh words are a plea for change. The ridicule is a call for reversing the tide of shame that is engulfing us all.

The fire in the Shura Council was no act of nature. As you may have learned from parliamentary hearings, the Fire Department sent 50 memoranda calling for the alarm systems to be updated and for fire precautions to be installed in the building. All went unanswered. Now whose fault is that?

When government officials dodge the mere semblance of accountability, the public will poke fun at them. The public will do that because they care about the country, not the other way around.

Governments have certain responsibilities towards their people. This is the whole idea of government. There is a contract, written or unwritten, that makes it incumbent on governments to pay attention, to stay accountable, and to work for the welfare of all, not just the rich. When governments flout their responsibilities, all bets are off. It's the same thing with sports and political parties. Fans turn against their clubs when they let them down. Supporters vote against their own parties when they let them down.

Gloating over the government's mishaps may seem impolite to some, but it is the public's way of wanting things to go right. It is a cry for dignity, a cry for help. The people who died under the rubble in Moqattam are the victims, not the government.