DOHA: The outcry against the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) turned bitter and more widespread in the Qatari community yesterday.
Reactions follow a Qatari newspaper columnist’s accusations on Sunday that the agency’s top officials, all expatriates, were abusing power with impunity.
Two major campaigns were launched against the QMA on the Twitter by the community yesterday.
One was titled ‘hash-tag Your Silence Causes Corruption’, while the other was ‘hash-tag What’s Happening in QMA’.
Several Qatari women joined the campaign and shared views on the issue of corruption in general. “Clean up and Qatarise,” said one, referring to the QMA.
But at least two Tweeters — apparently nationals — bitterly criticised the columnist, Faisal Al Marzouki, and said his allegations were “highly exaggerated”.
“I respect what you are saying, but much of your claims are exaggerated. This is not the right way to approach an issue of such a sensitive nature,” said one.
The QMA has many senior Qatari officials as well. “If you had an issue like this, you should have raised it with them instead of taking it directly to the people,” said the other.
He also took the local media for task and said they lapped up the issue and triggered a public debate as though they are a parliament and not media.
Al Marzouki joined the campaigns and urged the national anti-corruption agency and the Advisory Council to intervene in the QMA’s affairs.
He said on Twitter he had learnt that after his accusations went viral, eight top expat officials of the QMA who were overseas (in four countries) had a marathon discussion on the issue through video conferencing yesterday.
These officials were based in the UK, the US, Australia and France, he claimed. “They discussed for nearly four hours what was published in the Qatari media about the QMA.”
Al Marzouki, on his Twitter account, also made fresh allegations against the expatriate top-brass of the QMA, especially, its director-general.
The Peninsula
