The revelation that crucial Saudi government websites in English are hopelessly out of date is shocking. This flies in the face of all the plans to turn the Kingdom into a sophisticated, science- and technology-based economy. What hope of achieving that aim if ministries themselves are on a completely different wavelength? Not all of them, thankfully. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs website is well-run, spot up to date and relatively user-friendly. So too are those of the Haj Ministry and the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority. But they are more the exception than the rule.
The most recent news story on the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s English website was posted in June last year. That of the Economy and Planning Ministry seems to be even more antiquated; it still shows projected economic statistics for 2005, suggesting that it has not been updated for nearly two years. The English website of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources likewise does not seem to have been updated since 2006. Meanwhile, that of General Authority for Civil Aviation is incomplete, poorly presented and user unfriendly — and its last monthly statistical report was for March 2007. It too is not being maintained.
As for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology’s English website, one might have thought that it, of all ministry websites, would be bang up to date with all the latest Java applets. Not a chance. Its most recent story was posted last February — 11 months ago. It is astounding. Amateurs could do better.
This is not acceptable in an age when the Internet is such a major conduit for international business. It is no good claiming that the ministries’ Arabic websites are up to date (a questionable assertion in any event). The fact is that Saudi Arabia wants — needs — investment from around the globe. The business world does not operate in Arabic. It operates in English. A ministry such as Commerce and Industry cannot afford to ignore that fact. The idea that foreign companies, if they want to do business here, have to be totally proficient and operate wholly in Arabic simply is not going to work. It is blinkered and damaging.
Further, out-of-date and unmaintained government websites are more than an impediment to foreign investment; they send a damaging message that the country is institutionally incompetent and lax.
If SAGIA and the Foreign Affairs can operate good websites, so can every other government ministry and department.
It is time organizations at fault realized that it is not enough simply to set up a website. They have to be maintained — and on a daily basis. Maintenance is, sadly, a Saudi problem — but with the world looking on, this is an area where action has to be taken now. Otherwise, Saudi Arabia’s plans of becoming an information-based economy run the risk of becoming a laughing stock.
