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Tough action sought to curb influence peddling
Saudi experts have called for cracking down on residents who misuse their influence or adopt illegal methods for their own private gain, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.
They said there are people who take advantage of the influence of some government officials who may be either their relatives or friends or have other affiliations with them.
Some of them have been successful in grabbing jobs for which they are not qualified and thus denying opportunities to those more suitable, they added.
Ali Adnan Ishqi of King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Jeddah said the most effective way to contain this problem is to ensure government officials strictly adhere to the rules and regulations and not allow subordinates to violate them under any circumstances.
“Some officials break the law when an acquaintance approaches them to get things done through illegal channels,” he said.
Noted lawyer and legal consultant Majed Qarub said this problem is something that stems from the culture of the society.
“There is a general perception in society that only those people who have some influence with government officials or a relationship with them can get things done easily. The common man sees that such unethical associations are more significant than the merits of their case. Therefore, they value highly the role of middlemen in getting things done at some government offices,” he said.
According to Qarub, some people who have illicit ties with government officials are happy to take advantage of their connections irrespective of the fact their requests may not be ethical or important. “Unfortunately, the work ethics of some government officials encourages those resorting to such unethical practices,” he said.
Qarub noted that when a government employee gets acquainted with a ministry official, the first thing he asks the official is whether he can approach him whenever he needs anything from the ministry.
“The employee is not bothered about the grade of the ministry official and whether he is actually capable of getting things done for him or not. He is guided by a wrong perception that the ministry is something similar to a private property or a shop,” he said, underlining the need for implementing a thorough change in the work culture of government officials in a way that roots out corruption.
Omar Yahya, professor at the faculty of arts and humanities of KAU, underscored the need for introducing administrative reforms to combat this trend.
“There should be no room for misusing influence to get things done through the incorrect channels at any government offices. Nobody will be allowed to influence any officials,” he said while calling for introducing reforms to ensure employees work strictly in line with the rules and regulations under all circumstances.
“When shrewd people manage to get undue favors at the expense of others, this partiality will only serve to foster discontent among other citizens and society as a whole,” he said, adding there was a need to introduce a bureaucratic system under which every citizen is treated with fairness and justice.
Yahya said all people irrespective of their age, social status and financial position, are equal in the eyes of the law.
“There should not be a situation where a person who has influence can get things done quicker through the incorrect channels. Transparency and equality should be the driving force for government employees in their interaction with the public,” he said, urging all public servants to respect the law and tackle unethical activities such as nepotism and bribery.
“The younger generation should be provided with training as part of efforts to develop a good work culture and inculcate in them ethical values to put all vested interests before serving the people and the country,” he added.
Fawaz Al-Jales, a retired official, criticized the administrative system for such practices.
“When some members of the public realize that they are unable to get things done through the proper channels, they resort to other unethical ways. The senior officials must monitor closely the performance of their subordinates, especially those who have direct contact with the public such as employees working in customer services,” he said.
Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, an academic and businessman, said some employees are not honest enough to fulfill their obligations and respect the trust put in them by the government and the public. “They resort to incorrect practices that contravene the law and obstruct the broad interests of the public,” he said.
Mashie Al-Motairi, a citizen, said there are some employees who are corrupt. “Many citizens are forced to approach higher authorities such as ministers or department heads when they are not helped by these officials,” he said, urging the authorities to intensify their monitoring of employees to tackle this problem.
Saudi experts have called for cracking down on residents who misuse their influence or adopt illegal methods for their own private gain, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.
They said there are people who take advantage of the influence of some government officials who may be either their relatives or friends or have other affiliations with them.
Some of them have been successful in grabbing jobs for which they are not qualified and thus denying opportunities to those more suitable, they added.
Ali Adnan Ishqi of King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Jeddah said the most effective way to contain this problem is to ensure government officials strictly adhere to the rules and regulations and not allow subordinates to violate them under any circumstances.
“Some officials break the law when an acquaintance approaches them to get things done through illegal channels,” he said.
Noted lawyer and legal consultant Majed Qarub said this problem is something that stems from the culture of the society.
“There is a general perception in society that only those people who have some influence with government officials or a relationship with them can get things done easily. The common man sees that such unethical associations are more significant than the merits of their case. Therefore, they value highly the role of middlemen in getting things done at some government offices,” he said.
According to Qarub, some people who have illicit ties with government officials are happy to take advantage of their connections irrespective of the fact their requests may not be ethical or important. “Unfortunately, the work ethics of some government officials encourages those resorting to such unethical practices,” he said.
Qarub noted that when a government employee gets acquainted with a ministry official, the first thing he asks the official is whether he can approach him whenever he needs anything from the ministry.
“The employee is not bothered about the grade of the ministry official and whether he is actually capable of getting things done for him or not. He is guided by a wrong perception that the ministry is something similar to a private property or a shop,” he said, underlining the need for implementing a thorough change in the work culture of government officials in a way that roots out corruption.
Omar Yahya, professor at the faculty of arts and humanities of KAU, underscored the need for introducing administrative reforms to combat this trend.
“There should be no room for misusing influence to get things done through the incorrect channels at any government offices. Nobody will be allowed to influence any officials,” he said while calling for introducing reforms to ensure employees work strictly in line with the rules and regulations under all circumstances.
“When shrewd people manage to get undue favors at the expense of others, this partiality will only serve to foster discontent among other citizens and society as a whole,” he said, adding there was a need to introduce a bureaucratic system under which every citizen is treated with fairness and justice.
Yahya said all people irrespective of their age, social status and financial position, are equal in the eyes of the law.
“There should not be a situation where a person who has influence can get things done quicker through the incorrect channels. Transparency and equality should be the driving force for government employees in their interaction with the public,” he said, urging all public servants to respect the law and tackle unethical activities such as nepotism and bribery.
“The younger generation should be provided with training as part of efforts to develop a good work culture and inculcate in them ethical values to put all vested interests before serving the people and the country,” he added.
Fawaz Al-Jales, a retired official, criticized the administrative system for such practices.
“When some members of the public realize that they are unable to get things done through the proper channels, they resort to other unethical ways. The senior officials must monitor closely the performance of their subordinates, especially those who have direct contact with the public such as employees working in customer services,” he said.
Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, an academic and businessman, said some employees are not honest enough to fulfill their obligations and respect the trust put in them by the government and the public. “They resort to incorrect practices that contravene the law and obstruct the broad interests of the public,” he said.
Mashie Al-Motairi, a citizen, said there are some employees who are corrupt. “Many citizens are forced to approach higher authorities such as ministers or department heads when they are not helped by these officials,” he said, urging the authorities to intensify their monitoring of employees to tackle this problem.
