One good thing we have seen from the relative openness of our media is that we now have a glimpse at how some government agencies function. This is something that until recently was not only difficult to achieve but was out of the question. As a result, we have learned something about the deliberations in the Shoura Council either through the printed media or from television.
I recently came across a news item about some Shoura Council members objecting to an application from King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology for membership in the Saudi Engineering Society. The important part of the report was that two years ago KACST had a budget of SR267 million of which SR42 was spent on scientific research with the rest going for salaries, wages and other expenses. The Shoura members say KACST has departed from its original mission and become consumed by bureaucratic activities.
Such a piece of news is a sad reminder of the position that science and technology occupy in our country.
I wonder in fact what exactly KACST has been doing all this time with the large amounts of money available to it. Every time I raise the question, I tell myself that the situation may somehow improve and that KACST may one day surprise everyone with a major scientific achievement. Perhaps the achievement will even change the course of history and propel the Kingdom to the forefront of nations renowned for scientific accomplishments. Alas! I fear that such a hope is too optimistic and illusory. How can anyone possibly expect KACST to achieve anything at all when only SR24 million of its SR267 million budget goes for research?
The country’s economy can no longer allow such a waste of money and exercise of false prestige just to be able to say that we have something which deals with science and technology. It is time to act. KACST should do what is required of it — promote research. If not, it should be closed and so will end all the intrigue and mystery in which it is cloaked. An amount as substantial as SR267 million could do a great deal if channeled into other areas and used wisely.
