Public anger continues in Saudi Arabia over the authorities' handling of the floods that killed more than 100 people last week.

In Arab News, Turki al-Dakheel attacks the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) for its upbeat coverage of the disaster. One news item said:

“The SPA reporter found the people [in Jeddah], particularly children and women, enjoying the heavy downpour that the city was not used to over the past many years. Many of them headed to the corniche beach to enjoy this happy and wonderful weather.” 

Dakheel wonders if the SPA's reporter ever left the office: "Did he actually see the Jeddawis dancing with joy while bodies were floating in the streets?" 

He continues: "Writing in a shameless manner about an incident, the reality of which is known to everyone, is deeply embarrassing even for the information minister. It is, in fact, a gross belittling of a tragedy.

"Unlike in the old days, people now have access to the resources to record their own news. Even the most ordinary mobile phone can record and upload events to television channels and the Internet, or send directly to other people. The time of concealing news is a matter of the past."

News that the king has ordered a "massive inquiry" to establish responsibility for the disaster has been greeted with deep scepticism. The Crossroads Arabia blog points to the five officials appointed to head the inquiry and their largely irrelevant qualifications. 

"I don’t find a forensic economist on the list, someone to track the money intended for flood mitigation and control," it says. "Nor do I see any civil engineers listed. There was a physical failure of systems, not unlike the failure of flood control in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. And what about geologists, hydrologists, or even cartographers?" It continues:

It is unfortunately the case in Saudi Arabia that those responsible for serious problems frequently escape culpability because of their connections,wasta. Usually it’s family connection, often connections through marriage, but sometimes through tribal origins, business relations, or simple friendship. The lack of accountability is a crippling factor for the Saudi economy and Saudi society. If nothing else, escape from accountability means that there are no ‘lessons learned’ from earlier problems.

Ali Saad Al-Mosa, in Arab News, is equally dubious:

This committee will discuss the reasons behind the tragedy. First they will blame the sky for raining without warning. Then they will blame the floods for flooding. The dead, too, will be blamed for being responsible for their own tragedy, for daring to live in the low-lying Quwaizah district instead of the high-and-dry al-Shatie. Why didn’t they listen to the previous night’s weather forecast? Why did they insist on living on ground floors? Why did they buy small cars instead of big ones like some officials who buy their vehicles from government money?

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 2 December 2009.