LAST Wednesday was a day of bounty for many Saudis because it was payday. A friend of mine called me shouting on the phone asking for help. I told him to calm down as I tried to find out what was the problem. I told him that he should be happy because his salary must have landed in his bank account. He shouted back at me asking asking why should he be happy. He told me that his salary is only SR4,000 a month. I told him that it was a good amount of money, better than the salary of many people on retirement. He told me that his net salary is SR(-500). I asked him how that was possible. He told me that SR1,900 from his salary goes to the bank to pay a loan, SR1,500 is deducted for the apartment rent, payment for electronic appliances is SR600, the electricity bill is SR300 and SR200 is paid for the water truck. This means he is left with SR500 in the red. He asked me for a solution to his problem. He said he does not want to celebrate Eid or buy new clothes for his children, but he asked how could he eat and live with his wife and kids. The first thing I told him is to become a beggar because it is a profitable business in Ramadan. All he has to do is wear some torn and tattered clothes and he would be flooded with money. I told him that he should not worry about the authorities because they are never around. He asked me not to make fun of him and seriously help him find a solution. I told him that he supplement his income by washing cars and earn an honest living, and if not, he should ask the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Social Affairs for assistance, because I had never heard of a SR(-500) salary. Seriously, I don't see a solution to his problem.
