JEDDAH, 19 November 2005 — The campaign for the election of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry board of directors is heating up as voting day approaches. While each candidate, whether running as a member of an alliance or as an independent, is trying to distinguish themselves in their goals, two focal points appear prominent: Supporting small and medium establishments and supporting businesswomen. Supporting SMEs by providing funding resources, research, access, easier bureaucratic procedures, etc., is an important and obvious issue for all, especially with Saudi Arabia joining the World Trade Organization raising concerns over foreign competition and survival.

Supporting businesswomen, on the other hand, by allowing them a broader business base, training and activating their role in the chamber is seen largely as a publicity stunt. This does not mean that the female and male candidates are not serious and sincere about their promises but many acknowledge that the prospects of a woman winning a seat are slim and that running on a predominantly pro-women agenda is futile because in the end businessmen and women all supposedly share the same issues and concerns. Nevertheless, during this final week before the Nov. 26 vote, several meetings with members of the groups running in the elections are scheduled to publicize their goals, including support for businesswomen.

Last week, 11 businesswomen out of the 17 running in the election, held a meeting at the Flower Garden that was attended by around 200 women. US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Liz Cheney, who was on a visit to Jeddah with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, was present.

The meeting called for a quota system to guarantee the presence of women on the board. JCCI Chairman Dr. Ghassan Al-Sulaiman has ruled out reservation of seats for businesswomen. He said in remarks sometime ago that women would be allowed to fight on equal terms with men for the 12 seats open for election.

With that option out, some businesswomen are hoping that the Ministry of Commerce, which is supervising the elections, would choose a woman to fill one of the six nominated seats on the board.

The women candidates said that the focus of this election was on women’s participation. Reserving one or two seats for women, said one of the candidates, will be a first step toward empowering businesswomen.

Because the female candidates cannot campaign directly among men who constitute the majority of voters, the option left to them is targeting women who hopefully would convey their message and convince the male members of the family to vote for them.

“I’m trying to reach establishments through letters, appearing in the media and speaking at girls’ colleges to raise awareness,” Madawi Al-Hassoun to Arab News.

The participants urged the candidates not to make the election a matter of prestige, but to help each other even if their chances of victory are slim. The candidates assured that they are all looking forward to helping one another because at the end this is what they want and it is what they are fighting for in the first place.

The women’s campaigns continue this week in full force. Today the all-woman Al-Awael group, which consists of seven businesswomen in the fray, is holding a meeting at Dar Al-Hekma College for Girls and another meeting on Monday at a women’s training center to publicize their agenda.

The Small Establishments Group, which consists of eleven men and has left a 12th slot vacant for any independent male or female candidate who wishes to join them, will also hold a campaign meeting on Monday evening.

The Lijeddah group, which includes two female candidates, is perceived to have the best chances of winning the most seats because of its high representation in the business community and the organized manner of its campaign. The group is pursuing an agenda that supports small businesses.