Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Zamil: A notable merchant and a top industrialist

IN a recent article published by Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Zamil, observations were made that were addressed specifically to the ministers of finance, trade and labor. In the article, he asked them “not to be angry with him” because he is older in age. In fact, Abdulrahman aged early and his brothers still call him “sheba,” or old man.
Don’t be deceived by his gray hair and beard. His humorous spirit, optimism and agility all radiate from him to affect all those around him and this is one of the several reasons I chose to nominate him as Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce in 1981. In fact, there is a documented story about this event. After completing six years of service, Yousef Hamdan, the only undersecretary at the time, expressed his desire to retire from service. At that time, the resignation of an undersecretary was unusual.
When the Council of Ministers asked for a reason while discussing this topic, I stated that the man resided in a 300-square meter house and was earning a monthly salary of only 10 thousand riyals per month as the Undersecretary of the Ministry.
Meanwhile, he has a standing offer for a position in the private sector with a 45,000-riyal salary and housing in the private sector; thus, personally, I did not find it appropriate to stand in his way. I later learned that the concerned official bodies did not only accept my justifications, but conducted an investigation with him personally to make sure no other reasons for his resignation existed, such as, for example, disagreements with the minister. In any case, the Council of Ministers proceeded to accept the resignation, and I began searching for an alternative.
At the time, Abdulrahman was the deputy of the governor of the Electricity Corporation Eng. Mahmoud Taiba, may God bless his soul. Being already at the 15th grade, from a functional point of view, there would be no entitlement to any upgrade if he were to be transferred to the Ministry of Commerce. When the Undersecretary, who had resigned by then, tried to convince Abdulrahman to accept my nomination, Abdulrahman asked him the following: How is it that you are requesting me to accept the position you have chosen to leave? Yousef Hamdan replied simply: Because I am poor and you are wealthy, by the blessing of God.
The only remaining step was to approach Minister of Industry and Electricity Dr. Ghazi Algosaibi, may God bless his soul. I found it quite embarrassing to ask him for such a request because I couldn’t imagine how he could do without Abdulrahman in dealing with all the major problems with the electricity.
At a meeting of the General Committee of the Council of Ministers, I was taken by surprise when he took me aside separately and told me he had heard rumors that I was trying to transfer Abdulrahman to the Ministry of Commerce. I felt like the situation had slipped out of my hands, and I prepared myself for bitter reproach from my closest friend and colleague. However, I was surprised again with his response when he proposed that a transfer application be handled without delay to the Council of Ministers at their meeting the next day. And so it was, the process being perhaps the fastest transfer and assignment of an Undersecretary of a Ministry. It was clear that despite the appreciation of Ghazi toward the services of Abdulrahman, he did not appreciate his willingness and eagerness to appear regularly before the press and newspapers.
Abdulrahman’s service in the ministry continued for 14 years, and he departed at the same time I departed. During these years, he was a great asset to the ministry, as he cooperated regularly with the undersecretaries who were appointed after him, Tawfiq Ibrahim Tawfiq and Dr. Mohammed bin Hassan Aljabr, may God bless his soul. Our daily morning meetings at half past eight were our platform to discuss the responsibilities of the ministry in solving the various problems of citizens.
Abdulrahman’s career began with his teaching at the University of Petroleum, followed by positions at the General Organization for Electricity, Ministry of Commerce, and the Shoura Council. He proceeded to serve as president of Al-Zamil Group after the death of his elder brother, Muhammad, may God bless his soul, and head of the Riyadh Chambers of Commerce, and finally the president of Saudi Arabia’s Council of Chambers of Commerce.
All this came after the properly organized election, which had been witnessed by everyone. We must recall that the electoral process in the Chambers of Commerce is not the result of today or yesterday, but rather dates as far back as 1946, when the system of Jeddah Chamber was issued in the reign of King Abdulaziz, may God bless his soul. This process still mandates the election of two-thirds of the Chambers’ members by the vote of merchants and craftsmen who hold business records, and the appointment of one-third by the minister of trade and industry. This process was applied a long time ago in the assemblies of joint companies, as well as in municipal councils, organizations and other clubs. Perhaps this experience will extend to the Shoura Council in the future as part of the development steps that have expanded its membership to allowed for the appointment of women starting the next session.
Now, Abdulrahman has secured an important platform for delivering his speeches, providing praise and advice, yelling, and even cracking jokes. He will not stop. This is the combination of his personality, and we should accept it with an open mind. He is not a stranger to us—no one doubts his sincerity, experience, and purity.
My testimony about Abdulrahman is certainly impacted by our close relationship as friends, family and fellows. However, this does not diminish my pride and respect toward the experiences of the Chamber and all its former presidents for the past twenty years.
Congratulations to Abdulrahman for being in the Chambers, and congratulations to the Chambers for having Abdulrahman.
“Sheikh (Shuwayikh) of the Riyadh Chambers sings at the market center” — An alteration to an early song by Khalid Sheikh, which was famous at the time Abdulrahman was appointed: “Sheikh from the land of Meknes sings at the market center.”

— Courtesy of Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper