The Rest of the World Has Changed With the Times and We Arabs Have Not

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=57612&d=16&m=1&y=2005
Sunday, 16, January, 2005 (05, Dhul Hijjah, 1425)

The Rest of the World Has Changed With the Times and We Arabs Have Not
Suraya Al-Shehry

We Arabs have lamented the plight of our young people more than anything 
else. If only our youth can achieve something and thus earn us a leading 
position in the world! Unless the potential of our youth is properly 
exploited, nothing will remain but regret at lost opportunities. The 
strength of young people is great; at the same time, if they are weak, an 
entire country can be rendered powerless and ineffective. This is something 
plain to see in contemporary Arab societies. A related problem has been the 
failure of Arab countries to invest in their own intellectuals whose 
achievements might have enabled them to stand more proudly in these 
difficult times we are passing through.
The recent national dialogue on youth issues in the Kingdom as well as the 
Arab Strategic Seminar in Dubai have stressed the urgent need for 
comprehensive reforms with top investment priority given to young people. 
Such decisions have not been made by chance. It has been observed that 
changes on the economic and political stages also bring changes in social 
aspirations. In the case of Arab countries, however, hardly any change has 
taken place; the same old people in the same old offices clinging to the 
same old stifling bureaucratic routine are still in control. The long and 
the short of it is that the rest of the world has changed with the times and 
we have not. The guiding principle of the present age seems to be "no 
survival without an economy built on education." The tendency to depend upon 
natural resources instead of building a strong manpower base plus only 
halfhearted attempts at reforms will undoubtedly lead to the destruction of 
both ruler and ruled. The situation is comparable to a cyclone that uproots 
trees in an orchard and also kills the farmer. The terrible gale spares 
neither farmer nor farm. Only science and technology can devise techniques 
to counter the ravages of destructive winds. As for the Arabs who are 
frightened by the responsibilities attached to education and the development 
of manpower, they are busy with everything but the qualitative improvement 
of their people. They apparently need a guide who is skilled in teaching the 
lessons of history regarding the consequences of neglecting manpower 
development. Let any man - who wants to keep the people in a state of 
ignorance, unable to understand or demand anything - know that they in their 
ignorance destroy everything that he has built and achieved. They would not 
have thought of destroying anything if the man had trusted and taught them 
to love life and acquire knowledge so that they could help him in his role. 
Had that happened, they would have stood strong to defend their nation.
Arrogant stubbornness is man's worst quality. We Arabs cannot afford to 
postpone taking immediate steps to get rid of this negative quality and the 
complications that spring from it.
If we fail, we will all drown in the fathomless sea of anarchy and the lack 
of progress. These immediate steps cannot be taken without the committed 
political will to mobilize all our resources for doing so. It should begin 
with the country's youth. Possession of wealth is not the be-all and 
end-all. It should be used to create a system that makes wealth grow and 
uses intelligence in order to increase production rather than consumption. 
We cannot afford to be negligent in charting the reform plans and executing 
them in the most effective manner.
It is not enough to design nothing but an education system. Education and 
training should enable manpower to interact in all fields and benefit from 
the modern technological revolution. It will be possible only in a climate 
of freedom and understanding and under a government with transparent 
objectives and priorities. Then it will be easy to begin a work schedule 
designed to remove negative factors. This is not possible in a nation that 
has lost its sense of direction. Our youth do not want to be exploited by 
others. They yearn for science to lead them to success.
 



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