Riyadh : Saudi Arabia's government has been striving hard to implement transparency in the functioning and dealings of all the government and private organisations and establishments in the kingdom.
This was reckoned as part of the ongoing tough political reform measures initiated by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz since his accession to the throne four years ago.
However, last month's flash floods in Jeddah proved to be devastating not only for the infrastructure of the second largest city in the kingdom but for the public and leadership, too, who questioned the efficiency of the city's administrators to cope with such challenges.
According to Saudi analysts and observers, the Jeddah flood disaster unearthed for the first time the magnitude of bureaucratic corruption prevailing in the kingdom.
"The decree issued by King Abdullah to conduct a thorough probe into the flood disaster and take to task all officials responsible for the catastrophe is a major turning point in the kingdom's fight against corruption.
"This has opened a new chapter to root out corruption that seeped into the veins of the administrative body of the royal kingdom.
"King Abdullah's recent statement — We will protect our country from abuse, corruption and terrorism — reiterates the government's determination to root out both terror and corruption from the soil of the kingdom, which hosts Islam's two holiest sites," an analyst said.
According to the annual survey by the Berlin-based organisation Transparency International released in November, Saudi Arabia has improved its position in the global Corruption Perceptions Index by 17 ranks to 63rd position among 180 countries.
King Abdullah's determination and steps to stamp out corruption have increased the confidence of the public about the good intentions of its leaders.
Taking action
Ali Al Shidi, a noted writer and analyst, said that the public expects the rulers to act not only against erring officials who are currently in office, but also against those who have retired from service.
"Dereliction of duty on the part of those officials has resulted in faulty implementation of several vital infrastructure projects and thus added fuel to the fire of the floods in the eastern districts of Jeddah city," he said.
King Abdullah, while presenting the annual budget last week, urged governors and ministers to carry out the projects as quickly as possible without wasting the funds allocated to them.
He also warned against any shortcomings in implementing the projects as well as in carrying out the missions by the officials.
