RIYADH, 11 June 2007 — The Shoura Council announced that it would invite three ministers during the next six months to speak directly to it on matters of public interest; the invitations should be seen as part of new procedures aimed at improving communication between government officials and the council.
The announcement was made during yesterday’s session by Shoura President Sheikh Saleh Bin-Humaid. The three ministers are Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi and Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf. “The ministers will be invited depending on their availability and their schedules,” said Bin-Humaid.
Al-Gosaibi’s meeting with the council is expected to be the most heated since the majority of council members are private businessmen. According to statements the minister has made, many local businessmen are against Saudization since recruiting foreign workers is much cheaper. Bin-Humaid said the council would discuss with the minister all aspects of Saudization and employment as well as the recruitment of foreign nationals.
As for the finance minister, the Shoura president said that one area of discussion would be the riyal’s peg to the dollar. The foreign minister, Bin-Humaid pointed out, will inform the council of what has occurred during his official trips outside the Kingdom as well as clarifying matters regarding Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy.
Shoura member Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Zamil said that council members would most likely focus on providing jobs for Saudi nationals at a time of economic boom and investment opportunities in the country. “The labor minister will have to explain to the council how his ministry has issued 1.2 million visas for foreign workers and the impact this has had on domestic labor,” he told Arab News. He also said that the minister would have to show his strategies regarding the private sector’s obligations regarding Saudization quotas.
“We are facing a great challenge,” he said, adding that private companies had a responsibility to train and employ Saudi nationals before hiring foreigners. “The minister will also have to explain to what extent the private sector is committed to training our youth,” he said. He stated that no foreign company in Saudi Arabia will be be given a license to recruit foreigners until it provides evidence it is training Saudis.
Abdul Aziz Al-Thunayan, also a Shoura member, said that members would like to hear Finance Minister Al-Assaf’s comments on the Gulf market which is expected to be launched at the end of this year. Another area of discussion will be the impact of Kuwait’s decision not to continue its currency’s peg to the US dollar.
