JEDDAH, 4 October 2007 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has demanded a report from the Interior Ministry and regional governors on the reasons for the unprecedented increase in the prices of essential commodities, according to Interior Minister Prince Naif.
Speaking to reporters after presiding over a meeting of regional governors in Makkah, Prince Naif said the meeting had discussed the price increase as well as security issues. He said the issue of price increase was exaggerated as many GCC countries import products from Saudi Arabia.
“Some regional governorates say they have stock of essential commodities for a year and we see only a slight increase in prices. I think the Ministry of Commerce has to inform the public whether the price hikes were caused for reasons within the Kingdom or abroad,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the minister as saying.
He said the Ministry of Interior, the governorates and the chambers of commerce would conduct field surveys in order to find out the reasons for increasing prices of foodstuffs. Many citizens have complained that the Ministry of Commerce was doing nothing to control prices, bringing inflation rates to record levels of 3.8 percent.
King Abdullah, meanwhile, met the governors at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah and urged them to work hard for the welfare and prosperity of citizens in their respective regions.
He also emphasized the importance of the annual meeting of governors, adding that it would help them exchange views and make new proposals for improving the living conditions of citizens. Prince Naif briefed the king on the subjects tackled by the meeting.
Prince Naif said the meeting of governors also discussed the issue of overstayers in the Kingdom who violate the Kingdom’s labor regulations. The Council of Ministers this week approved a law that imposes strict punishment on Haj and Umrah pilgrims overstaying their visas. According to the new law, violators of visa regulations will face jail sentences of not more than two years or fines of up to SR100,000, or both. The amount of the fine will increase according to the number of persons involved in the violation.
Prince Naif demanded full cooperation of citizens in this respect who should not employ, transport or provide housing to any overstayer. “If these illegal aliens do not find anyone to employ or transport and accommodate them, they will not stay in the Kingdom,” he added. Speaking about the increasing number of Umrah pilgrims visiting the Kingdom every year, the minister said the king had instructed a study be done on allocating specific quotas of Umrah pilgrims for each country as is done with Haj pilgrims.
He called upon citizens and residents in the Kingdom not to repeat Umrah every year in order to reduce congestion in Makkah and allow those who come from distant places to perform the rituals in ease and comfort.
He said on some days the number of faithful coming for prayer at the Grand Mosque in Makkah was more than two million. “Despite the congregation of hundreds of thousands of worshippers in the mosque, nothing has happened and, God willing, nothing will happen in the future,” the prince said, commending security officers for their efforts in this respect.
Saudi embassies and consulates abroad have so far issued 3.2 million Umrah visas during this Hijrah year. More than 2.8 million pilgrims have so far arrived in the Kingdom while 2.1 million have left the country. As many as 6,600 flights have arrived at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, carrying Umrah pilgrims, the Central Haj Committee said in its daily report. The largest number of 560,102 pilgrims came from Egypt, followed by Iran with 467,764 pilgrims, Pakistan 292,714, Syria 269,089 and Jordan 220,704.
