By Hamoud Abu Taleb
Okaz
LADIES and gentlemen working in the Shoura (Consultative) Council are well aware that our society is classified as the third in obesity and by its effects, internationally. They are also aware that Saudi women have a great chance of getting ankylosis (a stiffness of a joint due to abnormal adhesion and rigidity of the bones of the joint) as well as obesity due to many reasons. One of the most important reasons is that Saudi women are forced to stay at home without getting a chance to exercise. Shoura Council members are also aware that the Saudi females in schools and colleges are unable to practice any kind of workout because it is still prohibited. In addition, they are also aware that all of this would result negatively on both the health of the citizens as well as society. So we are just reminding the Shoura Council members of what they are truly aware of regarding their terrific accomplishment toward rejecting the recommendation of building female physical education colleges. They are proud of this rejection as if they rejected a recommendation that threatens the national security or the country’s stability and safety.
The Shoura Council is basically contradicting itself. It emphasizes on portraying Saudi woman as an essential partner in social development and at the same time rejects building female physical education colleges. Some Shoura Council members are unable to differentiate between the public interest and the personal narrow-minded satisfactions. Some members are unable to realize that their role at the Shoura Council is not to represent certain political parties with limited ideologies and agendas. Those members have been assigned by the country to satisfy the actual public’s interest that is not supposed to be rejected. The female physical education is a public interest issue in terms of both health and logic. However, the recommendation of building female physical education colleges was treated by the Shoura Council in a way that ensures its rejection when it was not supported by the Committee of Educational and Scientific Research Affairs. So it was disappointing when the recommendation was eventually rejected.
What would societies and parliaments of the world say regarding a consultative assembly assigned by the country responsible for achieving a well-developed society and at the same time argues against female physical education? How would their reaction be when they realize that the Shoura Council itself rejected the recommendation? To us citizens, all we can say is that we are disappointed by the Shoura Council›s performance.
