Traveler’s travails

Last month, I had a confirmed seat on a Saudia flight to Riyadh. One day before travel I had to change my program. The first thing I did was to telephone Saudia office to cancel my reservation. I did this in good faith. There was no penalty at the time if you didn’t cancel.

Now hear my plight: The guy at the Saudia end told me the system was down and that he could not do anything about it. He asked me to call in an hour. When I called again, nobody picked up. After repeated attempts, I was simply tired and gave up. This whole thing about penalizing those who fail to cancel their bookings will turn into a big hassle.

Zameer Shihabi, Riyadh published 26 January 2009

No-show penalty

I am a Saudi Arabian Airlines frequent flyer. I completely disagree with Alwee H. Attas on the no-show fine issue (Jan. 23). The airline reserves the right to impose a penalty on those who fail to show up at airports despite having confirmed seats. Passengers should cancel their reservations if they are not traveling. They never do that. This inconveniences those who are on the waiting list.

Abdul Raqueeb, Dammam published 26 January 2009

Daylight robbery

I am experiencing something similar to what Imtiazuddin Ahmed said in his letter (“Sawa problem,” Jan. 23). Every once in a while SR8 is deducted from my account with a message saying “The last call cost you SR8.” For want of a reasonable explanation, I can only term it robbery.

The Saudi Telecom Co. (STC) office guys in Alkhobar were of little help. “It happens,” they said! Is this for some donation (donations should be voluntary, not covert), or is it a loony scheme to recover some of the money that STC lost during the discount scheme they had a few months ago? I am seriously considering changing over to Mobily or Zain.

Gopinath J.V.S., Alkhobar published 26 January 2009

War of words

I wonder if US President Barack Obama will really be able to handle the crisis in the Middle East. His recent decisions regarding Guantanamo Bay give glimpses of hope. However, the previous administration has left the new one to pick up the pieces of its foreign policy and start from scratch. It is clear that Gaza is just one more area of unrest after Iraq and Afghanistan and one must face one important reality: Obama came to power in his country, voted by his people and will work first and foremost for his own people. Why should the world expect anything more? In fact, why should Obama be responsible for the problems in the Middle East? Why can’t the Arabs handle it themselves? After all, they have a fairly good idea of how governments are run.

People may choose to disagree on this but on an individual level and indeed on an institutional level, Arabs are astute judges of character and efficient policymakers even if they try to implement foreign programs in place of indigenous ones. Perhaps they should take a page out of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s book and come out forthright. Of course, there will always be that difference: He speaks with a missile in his pocket. Arabs, on the other hand, do not have that privilege. So they must depend on the next best option and survive on a war of words.

Ozma Siddiqui, Jeddah published 26 January 2009

Nothing but murder

I am disappointed with Obama’s reversal of Bush’s ban on federal funding for international groups that promote or perform abortions. His politically invasive act, which will increase the number of abortions around the world, violates the beliefs and ethical norms of many foreign cultures. In such times of global uncertainty and fear, America should be exporting justice and human rights not violence and brutality. Is this what Obama means by change and hope?

Science clearly tells us that full human life begins at conception with the formation of a genetically complete, self-directing human entity, the embryo. Abortion, therefore, is in every circumstance, murder.

The respect for every human life is an essential condition if a societal life worthy of the name is to be possible. When man and his conscience lose respect for life as something sacred, the man inevitably ends by losing his own identity. To claim the right to abortion and to recognize that right in law means to attribute to human freedom a perverse and evil significance: That of an absolute power over others and against others. This is the death of true freedom.

Paul Kokoski, Hamilton, Ontario published 26 January 2009

Special relationship!

Many moons ago I remember being fascinated by a puppet called Lenny the Lion who could actually talk. Fond are my memories of a children’s television program entitled “Animal Magic” which was hosted by the late Johnny Morris; I remember sitting spellbound in front of the box as I listened to animals speaking in flawless English. One day, a great aunt shattered my dream-world when she informed me that puppets and animals don’t talk. So there was the reality, Ray Allen the ventriloquist spoke for Lenny and Johnny Morris did the animals voices!

Your editorial (“A relationship that is special,” Jan. 25) is a story about a relationship that may well turn out to be not so special after all. If Obama acts the great aunt, he could well be the president who finally shatters the dream-world in which so many have lived for so long. The late Enoch Powell rightly saw America as Britain’s enemy, not as its ally. When Powell was a brigadier during World War II, he often heard American officers boasting about how the US would terminate the British Empire and replace Britain as the dominant global power. If America’s inimicality toward Britain was not apparent during the war years, the ventriloquist’s slip should have been perfectly apparent during the Suez crisis in 1956. Whatever the rights or wrongs of Suez may have been, the fact is that America, supposedly the great defender of the “free world” against “communism,” sided with the Soviet Union against its “allies” Britain, France and Israel. Throughout the postwar years America consistently attempted to undermine Britain in the South Atlantic and Northern Ireland. After the US treachery over Suez, it should have become patently obvious to Britain that its true ally was the Soviet Union — Britain and the USSR should have acted in unison in order to maintain a balance of power both in Europe and in the wider world.

Sadly the delusions continue. The make-believe special relationship between Britain and the US is still in place. We operate a fantasy economy where so much wealth, due to corruption and sleaze, simply does not exist. The politically correct elite mouth a load of drivel about multiculturalism, but pull the mask away and what is revealed is multisectarianism in all its grotesqueness. And as for immigration — read invasion! It all makes Ray Allen and Johnny Morris with their talking puppets and animals seem quite believable after all!

Francis Andrew, Nizwa, Oman published 26 January 2009

Bringing Bush to book

I feel pity for groups like “Arrest Bush” in the US who want to make the former president and members of his administration face trial for war crimes or crimes against humanity. They should know that such trials are meant for people such as Sudanese President Omar Bashir, Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and Serbia’s Slobodan Milosevic. Not for US or Israeli leaders.

In a recent televised interview, Obama was lukewarm in his enthusiasm for prosecuting members of his predecessor’s administration, though House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has indicated that she might support a criminal probe of Bush administration officials. Would she stick to this position?

Unlikely. The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) knows where such probes will lead and would do everything to stop them.

Ashraf Ali, Jeddah published 26 January 2009

Graveyard of Empires

It is my firm belief that even if Mr. Obama with all his military might, coupled with Russian military machine, wants to take on Taleban and Al-Qaeda they cannot wipe out/finish off Taleban or Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Who would envoy Richard Holbrooke talk to in Pakistan?

Zardari, Gillani, Malik, Niak, Kayani, Obama and his nominee Holbrooke should do their homework independently, seriously, and sincerely on ground realities in Pakistan, especially on men named above before opening negotiations with the right people in Pakistan who could bring a face-saving end to American occupation in Afghanistan. Failing to do that would only harm Pakistan financially, economically, territorially and militarily and American reputation along with its military might and financial clout will be shredded beyond repair from which America may never be able to recover. It is my advise to Obama to consult with the English and the Russians on Afghanistan and not on American think tanks or Afghan experts before embarking on any kind of "finishing off Taleban/Al-Qaeda" policy on Afghanistan.

Tanweer Ameen, Dubai published 26 January 2009