RIYADH, 19 April — Riyadh Governor Prince Salman has called upon the private sector to push through Saudization of work force. He, however, advised the Saudi youths to take their jobs seriously, since “business establishments are not charitable organizations that can provide jobs without any expectations from the employees.”
Prince Salman made these remarks even as the Labor Office here summoned 185 establishments before a committee at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs for their failure to implement the Saudization program.
The Governor was speaking at an annual meeting with Saudi businessmen at the headquarters of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry here last night. Minister of Commerce Osama Faqeeh, RCCI President Abdulrahman Al-Jeraisy, and Secretary-General Hussein Al-Athel were among the large number of businessmen present.
While reaffirming the government’s commitment to Saudization, the governor said the Kingdom did not want to totally dispense with foreign talent and experience. It will need them till the country achieved self-sufficiency in manpower.
Referring to the development of Saudi talent in all fields of endeavor, he cited the example of the Riyadh chamber and said: “In the beginning no one could imagine that one day the chamber would be run totally by Saudis having experience in all fields. But they made it.” Directing his message to the young Saudis, the governor said that while it is good to be ambitious, one should be contented with a little in the beginning in order to build the future on a firm foundation.
“A large number of successful businessmen of today launched their career with minor government jobs. As a result, they have acquired a depth of vision which has helped them to attain success in their lives,” Prince Salman observed.
He assured the businessmen of the government’s continued support. “We are a single society with no difference between the government authority and an ordinary citizen. Our work is inter-linked and our common objective is to serve the country and the citizen,” Prince Salman said.
The governor said the joint responsibility of government agencies and the private sector dictates the need for greater cooperation. He said demands listed in a memorandum submitted to him by the business men needed study and have been forwarded to the specialized committees set up for the purpose. “The committees are not graves for papers but hospitals,” he said in a lighter vein, assuring the businessmen that their recommendations would be examined seriously.
Former RCCI president Ibrahim Al-Toaq, tracing the chamber’s history, said: “We have a vivid memory of the day five decades ago when 30 Riyadh businessmen, at the behest of Prince Salman, sent a memorandum to the then minister of commerce proposing the creation of the chamber.” “The rest is history,” he added.
