Fahd Bin Jleid

Al-Jazirah

 

BEFORE he was appointed chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha), Mohammed Al-Sharif wrote an article warning against the health hazards of “nose kissing” as a method of greeting that is famous among Saudis and other Arabs when they meet.



He said in an article published by Al-Eqtisadiah business daily in 2009: “This habit has no origin in the religion or Arab heritage.



“It had crept into the Arab countries during the time of complete submission to the colonizers.”



He said the advanced world despises this habit, especially the Japanese who stop kissing a baby once he or she is grown up.



The West totally abhors kissing as a method of greeting, considering it a sign of backwardness.

Former US President Bill Clinton used to ask his advisers how to avoid Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s famous kisses when they were to meet.



Al-Sharif asked the Ministry of Health at the time to look for solutions to the kissing and hugging as part of its efforts to curb the spread of contagious diseases.



He said it was enough to shake hands. Since Al-Sharif had written his article, the habit has been on the rise.



Interestingly, kissing has become a major threat to our development projects, especially when it comes from a contractor of delayed projects, a competitor in a government tender or a corrupt employee.



Such types of people will kiss the senior official in the hope of pleasing him so they can be pardoned for any shortcoming or failure and their substandard performances overlooked.



It is a common belief among us that whoever kisses the nose of the manager is the closest employee to him. Whether we like it or not, this is our nature.



Al-Sharif and his team are exerting efforts to fight corruption in all its forms. By the grace of Allah, cooperation by all and the good intentions they will succeed.



But who will rid us of the corruption of nose kissing? I think this a major question that Al-Sharif and his team should try to answer.