By Tariq A. Al Maeena, Special to Gulf News
October 23, 2011
Change must take place from within
Radical transformations, especially those that happen overnight, can have a less than desired effect on any society
Just last week, I bumped into Ali, a friend I hadn't seen for a quite some time. I was slightly taken aback by his shabby appearance, sporting a wild mane of hair and dressed as he was in an unkempt linen kaftan and faded jeans that seemed to have run their course. His table manners at the cafe we met at were similarly surprising.
"What has happened to you, Ali? Why this change? You were so proper and nattily dressed up in our last meeting. If my memory serves me right, you also meticulously followed the etiquette of dinner-plate settings and silverware rules. Just what has happened since then to change all of that?"
"Tariq," he sighed. "That's all in the past. I'm just going to remain in this mode until I see real change in our society. I was so upbeat and energised then when we began hearing about the implementation of positive reforms that affected us all, but has anything really materialised? It's all been talk, more talk, and nothing else."
"But surely, Ali, there has been a degree of change. Attitudes seem to be mellowing, and extremism has been exposed for what it is a sickness within. And are you not aware of what is taking place around you. Hey, women can vote and join the Shura, something unheard of a year ago," I offered back. "Whoopee, but can they drive? What is it about our society that has not moved on this issue? Are we aliens on earth to deprive half our population such basic rights? People talk of change, and wait for change, but they themselves are the very ones who resist it."
Waving casually at a group of people seated nearby, Ali continued, "Look around you at all these people. A great deal of corruption you hear about is pursued by these very people. They are the first ones espousing progress and rooting like cheerleaders but so long as their bank accounts remain healthy, they don't really care."
"But what is it exactly that depresses you? What has actually turned you off, Ali," I continued.
"Tariq, in a running stream, we are static or not moving fast enough. Where are the changes in our education system? Granted, there have been a few modifications, but for the most part, it remains much of the same; mired in centuries-old ideology. I mean here we are in 2011, and we face pressing issues that need addressing and resolution. We have a serious unemployment problem. We have an uncontrolled population growth. We have a decaying infrastructure. We have a rise of corruption within the public sector, the likes that never before existed. Our public services are failing to meet the needs of many. Where is the accountability for such public servants?"
Growth hampered
"While all this is going on, we are still bogged down with the insignificant issue of permitting schoolgirls some physical activity! Such continuing inconsistencies in this culture of contradictions that continue to hamper the growth of this country. Let us move ahead for once and focus on the issues that really require attention. And for Pete's sake, let the girls have all the physical activity they need. At least that would address the problem of growing obesity among female teenagers here."
"And while we are at it, my friend, why not tailor our education to the needs of the marketplace. How many times do you hear our business leaders bemoaning the fact that our university graduates are ill-equipped with the necessary tools to sustain them. How long do we have to depend on foreign labour when we have Saudis out of jobs? Everybody here is quick to parrot that the world is a global village, but why do I sense that we are on some other planet? Why is our pace towards modernisation and progress so much slower than the rest of the world's?"
He continued, "Look around you my friend. The Arab world is going through change the like of which we have not witnessed for decades. As for our problems, all this is nothing new. If you check the archives of most of our newspapers, you will see references to some of the problems I have brought up as old as a decade. And sadly, I hate to burst your bubble Tariq. But the times, they aren't a-changing."
I had to disagree with my friend. He wanted change to happen overnight. Such radical transformations can have a less than desired effect on any society. Change is an evolution and not a revolution. And it should take place from within, for the general good of all and at the pace dictated from within.
Tariq A. Al Maeena is a Saudi socio-political commentator. He lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
gulfnews : Change must take place from within
