JEDDAH, 26 May — Shoura Council President Muhammad ibn Jubair, who was re-appointed for a third consecutive term on Thursday, has said that the enlargement of the council will enable the consultative body to complete its deliberations on various topics faster.
In statements published in local newspapers, Jubair said the reconstituted council would begin session today even though the actual sitting would start only after the new members were sworn in by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd. The timing of the swearing-in is yet to be fixed, he added.
According to press reports, King Fahd will address the Shoura today, when he is expected to spell out the country’s domestic and foreign policies. The Shoura members are to be sworn in before the inaugural session.
King Fahd formed the first Shoura Council in 1993 with 60 members as part of political and administrative reforms. Thirty members were added to the council later. He reshuffled the council on Thursday and increased its strength to 120, adding new blood to thebody.
The new council includes 76 doctorate degree holders. “The increase in the number of Shoura members will boost its expertise. We need not look for experts outside the Council now,” Ibn Jubair told the Okaz newspaper. He hinted at the possibility of increasing the number of subcommittees under the council if it was necessary to speed up discussions of various issues.
The 11 subcommittees at present are those for Islamic affairs, systems and administration, foreign affairs, security affairs, economic affairs, financial affairs, services and utilities, transport and communications, educational affairs, cultural and information affairs, and social, health and environmental affairs.
Ibn Jubair said Saudis born outside the Kingdom, like sons of diplomats, are eligible for nomination to the Shoura. “Those who have obtained Saudi citizenship and have been residing in the Kingdom for a long period can also find a place in the council,” he explained.
“The Shoura sessions debate various topics and issues. The discussions are not a secret affair; Saudi citizens and government employees can listen to the deliberations,” Ibn Jubair said.
He said the government’s annual budget is not referred to the Council for debate. “But we discuss the development plan which is more important than the national budget,” Ibn Jubair said in an interview with Al-Watan daily.
Asked whether the debate on the national budget would be shifted to the Shoura from the Council of Ministers if Shoura members requested it, he said the final decision would be taken by the king. “The final authority is neither the Cabinet nor the Shoura. If the two councils agree on an issue or system, the king may endorse it. If the two fail to agree on an issue, then the king would take an appropriate decision,” he added.
Ibn Jubair commended his new deputy, Bakr Saleh Shatta, as one of the outstanding and well-qualified members in the body. Shatta, who replaces Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef, said the new appointment would encourage him to work hard in the service of the country.
Shatta is one the 13 Shoura members who have found their place on the council for the third consecutive term.
Born in Makkah in 1358H, Shatta obtained a master’s degree in business administration from the University of South California.
He has worked for the ministries of commerce and finance, before his appointment as undersecretary at the Ministry of Public Works and Housing. He has represented Saudi Arabia at a number of international conferences.
