I SUSPECT that a considerable number of readers may not accept any criticism against the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) or its members, no matter how serious their mistakes might be. For this reason and out of consideration to the sensitivity of these readers, I will not talk about the individual cases published now and then in local newspapers. These cases may include kicking a citizen in his stomach and dismissing it as “an unintended mistake” or chasing a citizen in his vehicle Hollywood style until it ends in a disaster, especially since chasing suspects is prohibited in the Kingdom. Such repeated and tragic incidents will not change their history. They will not also nullify the fact that some of the “guards of virtue” may commit mistakes while attempting to “correct our lives and straighten up our behavior.” Therefore I will not be like some of our colleagues who fish in dirty water and stop at a “kick” here or a “slap” there. Our talk today will be purely about a government organization on which doubts and suspicions were cast, necessitating the intervention of the government department in charge of fighting corruption (Nazaha). Al-Hayat newspaper has published a number of news stories about complaints against the Haia for administrative violations. Will such stories cast doubts about the work of the Haia members? Will such a call to investigate the violators be considered a secular, liberal or a Zionist move? Is it the duty of a good Muslim to forgo these marginal issues so as to enable the Haia members to promote virtue and prevent vice? What virtue can be promoted by an employee who was himself appointed against established rules? What corruption could be prevented by those who believed that they were above any questioning or accountability? Al-Hayat on Sunday said an official spokesman of the Haia had threatened on WhatsApp to sue anyone who dares to publish Haia violations. He said this when a reporter from the newspaper had asked him about the complaints against the Haia. Therefore we can safely assume through the organization's official spokesman that the Haia has refused to respond to the public accusations against it, which included illegal dissipation of public funds and nepotism in the appointment of some members. Four brothers were appointed at the Haia at the same time. I can imagine them coming to office in one car. They can also open a branch office for the Haia at their home to save costs. The newspaper said one of the four brothers was appointed in the position of an assistant director general. Eight months later he was deputized to do some work outside the responsibilities of his original position. This is against the system of the civil service, which prevents deputing employees to other assignments before a whole year has passed after the initial appointment. It was alleged that the Haia had paid money to a number of its members as rewards for working during the Haj season in Makkah while they never left Riyadh. Allowances were also paid to some employees for supervising conferences that were never held. The letters of complaints against the Haia must have come from some disgruntled members who were not happy about what was going on. It was not possible that a detractor of the Haia would sneak into its offices and have access to these violations unless he was being detained in its archives office after being caught in a Khalwa (illegal seclusion with a woman). Last week I made reference to the complaints against the Haia and said they included the payment of an advance to cover the expenses of the Intellectual Security Conference, which was organized and entirely financed by one of the universities. The Haia also claimed to have rented a building at a cost that was far above its real value. The spokesman refused to comment on these complaints. The Nazaha decided not to consider these complaints until the return of its president from abroad. What I want to say is that giving sanctity to any government department will make the monitoring of the performance of its employees a very difficult, if not impossible, task. This will encourage these employees to commit more such actions as long as they will not be held accountable. The Haia is a government organization just like any other government department and should not be above accountability.
