The city of Tabuk drowned in floodwater recently in the same manner Jeddah had drowned in floods and rainwater a couple of years ago. Thanks to Almighty Allah, unlike Jeddah, there were no casualties or loss of lives in Tabuk. Following the same pattern of the Jeddah mayoralty, the municipality of Tabuk issued a statement explaining to residents and the media what had actually happened. Mayor of Tabuk Mohammed Al-Amri said: "The photos displayed on the social networking sites were only a handful of random houses that were illegally built in Wadi Dabaan valley. A verdict was issued by the Court of Grievances to remove these houses from the bottom of the valley. They are only 72 houses." This clearly indicates that it was the fault of the citizens who encroached on government land and subsequently they should take full responsibility for what had happened. The mayor did not tell us who gave these citizens the deeds for the plots of land or who gave them licenses to build their houses in the bottom of the valley. He did not tell us how the utility services had reached these citizens and how the roads to the homes of these encroachers were asphalted. Were the roads, which were washed away by the floods, also asphalted by the very citizens who encroached on government land?
The mayor did not tell us if the Ministry of Education was also involved in the encroachment. The director general of the ministry Dr. Al-Lihaidan directed heads of all schools in Tabuk to enroll the male and female students of the affected schools. In other words: Did the Ministry of Education also encroach on public land and build the schools for the squatters who constructed their homes in the bottom of the valley? If what the municipality is claiming was true why did it not destroy these houses that were built without licenses? The municipality alone is responsible for guarding government lands. It is the sole government department that issues construction licenses. It has the power to take down any building that is illegally constructed by the force of law. If the mayor does not have the culture of apology and does not want to admit that what has happened falls within his responsibilities, he should at least refrain from telling us openly that it was the victim who is the actual criminal, and that they are responsible.
