new line of defence

The reactions in the daily press -which is more preoccupied by shattered airport glass than broken citizens' bones- continue.

Today’s Alwatan, in a newly differentiated division of ideological labour between the benefactor and the beneficiary, devotes a full page with six photographed knights in bearded armour at its core and centre.

One of these, a former president of the authentically-and-certifiably Salafi political society expressed astonishment that “there exist people in the country with this level of thinking” in reference to protestors at the airport. This comes from the very same guy who had previously ruled that democracy is a vice that could only be entered into in order to stave a bigger vice.

But the most up-front, frank statement of the day came from the current president of the same society who declared that “anyone not satisfied with the priorities of the state should seek somewhere else”.

Should you care? Well, this current president of this movement - ingeniously cloned from our neighbors- has the same surname – make that the same tribe name- as the freshly appointed Chief of the Prosecution Office (with a first degree in Police Science). So when he talks, you better listen.

But in case people with that level of thinking are not listening, they may be better reminded again that the priorities of the state have always been made abundantly clear for everyone with two eyes: first and foremost is you know who, then the allied tribes, then the surrendered tribes, then the rich and famous of families, and so on until we reach your priority.

These priorities may also require that a voter in a southern area gets the same number of MP as 33 of non-neighborly voters in a northern less-prioritized village, as this southern area is inhabited by vintage tribal stock with distinguished priority, and who are fortunately represented by a municipal council headed by a third figure from the same aforementioned tribe.

If you thought this case is a good example of over-prioritized tribes, then you should make it a priority to adjust your level of thinking about the glorious history of the fine and noble in the region. This knighted Arabian tribe for example was part of two victorious alliances (amongst many) which they can take to the bank anytime and in no queue: the first was in the conquest of Bahrain in 1782, and the second was with King Abdul Aziz in the conquest of Al-Ahsaa (and with it whole Eastern Arabia) in 1913.