The late King Khaled ibn Abdul Aziz once said, "My brother, Fahd, has a great natural talent for management." In the 1960s I worked for the municipality of Jeddah where I witnessed this talent. I was privileged to accompany Prince Fahd — as he then was — on a series of visits during which no media personnel were present.
He walked about with few officials in attendance; he asked questions, observed and gave instructions that certain things were to be done. Visits of this kind are normally the most effective since the official can see for himself what has been done as well as what needs doing. There is no need for him to wait for reports and I was very impressed with his words and his deeds that day.
On another occasion, I remember a graduation ceremony at King Abdul Aziz University where King Fahd spoke. In attendance were princes, ministers, religious leaders, foreign dignitaries and guests including members of the US Congress. The king stated, "God has blessed us with wealth and means. Because of His blessings, we are determined to build an infrastructure in our country which includes education, health care, roads and public utilities. We will furnish this generation and the coming ones with facilities that were unavailable to our forebears and we expect our youth to excel and maintain these high standards in the most exemplary way possible."
King Fahd’s reign has been marked by an adherence to these policies and all Saudis have benefited from them and will continue to do so.
Why then are the Western media so generally hostile to us and so determined to play down our accomplishments? Many of us were educated in the West but we held fast to our faith and our traditions. And yet from the day of King Fahd’s accession to the throne, the Western media have never stopped their tales of the instability of Saudi Arabia and the weakness of its economy.
We are at a loss to understand these reports when we see all around us the achievements of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and his government. A recent book published in America — a country which we consider our friend and to which we send our children to be educated — addresses the question of what will happen in the Kingdom in the future. The book is full of erroneous conclusions, illogical assumptions and rumors that are both disgusting and absurd. It is obvious that these books come into the Kingdom in order to create disturbances and discontent; the mountain, however, fears no wind and the ship sails on.
In his speech at the graduation ceremony, King Fahd indicated that at some point in the future, the Kingdom might experience a reduction in its income. For that reason, the government has sought alternative sources of income and has found them. In addition it is imperative that if the economy is to move ahead, the government must continue spending on infrastructure and capital schemes all over the country — which it has done. In order to ensure that the economy remains strong, King Fahd, has approved laws which regulate operations and to assure both the private sector and foreign investors of the safety of their investments and their returns.
Now it is time for us to assume our responsibilities in a competent and professional manner. King Fahd has laid the foundations and we must now build upon them. We must look closely at our needs and understand what should be imported and what should not. We must investigate the alternatives to bureaucracy and get rid of whatever impedes progress and advancement.
By doing so, we become worthy of what King Fahd has done for us and continue his good works. May God bless King Fahd and grant him long life.