Societal paranoia Tuesday, 08 March 2011 03:25

It’s an everyday thing. It happens all around. It’s part of the culture. And I have always wondered why as a society we cannot be a little more open, a little more forthcoming.

I was at Hamad Hospital to pick up medicine for my son. On any other day I would have parked the car myself in the parking lot and enjoyed the walk up to the hospital, specially in this nice weather. However, I was pressed for time — I hardly had 10 to 15 minutes for the errand. So I decided to try their valet parking service.

While waiting for my car to be brought after I had collected the medicine, I got into a friendly chat with the guy manning the booth. I asked him things like how many people on an average used the service and whether Qataris or non-Qataris made the bulk of their clientele. Things that you normally ask in a chit-chat with a stranger.

We were having a normal conversation when suddenly a Qatari who was sitting at the reception inside the building came running and told the valet not to give any information to me, or to anyone.

I was taken aback. What sensitive information could the poor man pass on. And anyway, how did the guy inside know what we were talking about? Were there hidden speakers or cameras installed? I did not tell the valet I was from a newspaper. Why this secrecy? I was not discussing some special medical compound or chemical formula with the man that needed to be guarded.

If anything it’s an indication of the closeted mindset of the officialdom. If people in the lower rungs are so discouraged to interact normally with the public for fear of giving out ‘secret’ information, imagine the paranoia at higher levels. Can you blame if one thinks, maybe they have something to hide, something that they don’t want the general public to know.