Turki Al-Dakheel

Al-Riyadh

 

HONOR by its very nature is a symbolic gesture of appreciation rather than a reward in cash or kind. We cannot reward great public servants such as the late Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, Ali Al-Naimi or Abdullah Al-Turigee. These people have excelled in their jobs without waiting for rewards from anyone. Al-Gosaibi's last words in a poem titled “Twilight Garden” were: “When I die say he was not a champion but he never licked boots or did a shameful act.”



Al-Gosaibi and his colleagues who were pioneers in management and administration were real champs. If these people refused to be honored for their good deeds, we should not do the same for the young inventors and creators. I thought of all this while reading an article about the honoring of a young girl.



The news report said: “Majda Mohammed Asiri, a 10-year-old girl in the fourth grade of the 17th elementary school in Taif, is very talented in English language and speaking it with an American accent. Her parents established a small academy for her at their home to teach English to other young girls of her age.”



She has been honored for this good work by the department for the gifted. The reward given to her was a store coupon at the value of SR100 only. If this news is true, then we are a nation that does not appreciate creativity as the Saudi thinker Ibrahim Al-Bilaihi charges.



He considers a proper society to be one that honors its creative and talented members. Sadly, we do not know how to honor the gifted citizens. A young girl who should be encouraged is only given an amount of SR100 in the form of a coupon?



This girl needs to be encouraged. The SR100 is a disgrace to her. No doubt that the girl's parents have provided her with all her needs but this does not absolve the department of the gifted citizens from its responsibility of giving her a proper reward.



The department is freely spending the government money so it could afford to be more generous. A creative citizen is like a tree giving its fruits to all.