An important Cabinet reshuffle was carried out after H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani took over as Emir of Qatar. The reshuffle aimed to continue the efforts of the Father Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to increase productivity and transparency, and achieve integration of various supervisory and operational bodies.
The press is one sector expected to deliver accurate information and clarify vague issues by contacting the officials concerned.
The aforementioned tasks are a part of the media’s mission, as it is the mouthpiece of all segments of society and the conveyor of information and news. Unfortunately, there are certain government entities that try to stop the press from growing, marginalise it, and repel it as much as possible, without giving any reason for doing so.
However, there are other government entities that know the value of the different media outlets, particularly newspapers, and they know how to communicate with them. Therefore, they assign for this job accountable and professional citizens who can shoulder the responsibility. They can remove the obstacles that hinder journalists, help them reach sources of information and provide a clear picture, and correct information they have been assigned and make it available to readers. Lack of access to accurate information can lead to rumours, which spread in the absence of clear communication between government entities and citizens.
The worst is to see government officials acting as dictators, preventing any communication with the media unless it is approved by them. The same thing applies to publishing any news or announcements.
It is sad that one employee has been fired from his job just for talking to the media. Which era are we living in? Is it logical that such a situation should continue? No way, because positions are honorary and people are answerable in front of Allah, the Emir, the government and the people, and of course they will be punished for dereliction of duty and misuse of authority.
Fortunately, we are living in a country where the leadership is modest: the Emir, the Father Emir, the Prime Minister and the ministers. As Qataris in general are known for their modesty and love and respect for others, anyone contrary to that will be seen as an odd man out and will be known to all, regardless of the position he is occupying, and nothing stays the same forever.
I was thinking about how to address this issue, because a government entity was one of the best in communicating with the media before the appointment of this man, who has turned it into a security body.
The Ministry of Interior is one of the security entities, but it is always in touch with the media, provides it detailed information, and even receives calls and gives clear facts and information to journalists.
I hope all other government institutions do the same as the Ministry of Interior, as they are services providers.
What is most painful is that this official marginalises Qatari citizens and underestimates them. Officials in leading positions, such as the director, chairperson or public relations officer must be Qatari citizens who must get support. Unfortunately, this man has assigned one person of Arab nationality who has set a bad example in dealing with the media.
The way he deals with journalists does not live up to the institution he works for. He asks journalists, “Why have you come here? Communication between us should be only via email. We have nothing that we can give you at the moment.”
When journalists say that they came because they wanted to write a story or conduct an interview, he replies, “There is no one you can talk to now and we have nothing to announce.”
This guy does not even let journalists get an appointment to meet an official. He tells them not to come again without sending an email, or being asked to come. How is this possible?
Yes, unfortunately this has happened in one government entity, and I do not know what the official means by saying, “We do not need you.” Does he mean the media in general or newspapers in particular? Does he want to deliver a message to an official, or is it just a new strategy that they trying to impose on us?
