King Abdullah on access to ministers and ambassadors

Accessibility to senior officials in any country is highly valued and sought after. For ordinary citizens, in many countries, such access may be denied altogether or made extremely difficult. By contrast, access is granted easily to lobbyists and high-powered individuals. Saudi Arabia is no exception. That is probably one reason why Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, has spoken forcefully on this issue, several times in the past year alone.
In a meeting dedicated to unveiling higher education projects worth SR85 billion ($ 23 billion), on April 30, 2012, King Abdullah gave clear instructions to ministers who are typically inaccessible to ordinary citizens:
“You have been chosen from among your peers to carry out a great responsibility toward the people. I am asking you not to close your office doors in people’s faces. You should not have doorkeepers to keep people away, because you all are servants of the people, as I am. ” He said.
Of course average citizens enthusiastically received those words. Every one of them, probably had a story to tell about how many times they had tried to meet with ministers, to no avail. I know one Saudi who had been trying to see a particular minister since the year 2000, but denied access every time she tried.
More recently, on June 4, 2012, during a meeting with newly appointed ambassadors, King Abdullah addressed them and said:
“You have to realize that you represent Saudi Arabia and its people. I need you to focus on people’s needs. You, I, and every official should think of ourselves as servants of the people. I will certainly receive news of which one of you opens his door for the people to receive them, and those who close doors in their faces. The most important thing to remember is that you have been appointed for only one purpose: service of the people.”
Having lived some 25 years abroad myself, I know how important access to embassy staff is, as citizens living abroad or visiting, have needs that require 24/7 access. It is simply unpredictable when you may need your embassy’s assistance. Needless to say, it is difficult to get hold of some of our embassies outside normal working hours.
By contrast, once I was traveling with an American friend on a business trip. We arrived from New York to an airport in an Arab country about 3:00 in the morning. As there was a problem with his passport, he was denied entry. I thought he would be promptly sent back to the US, and decided to keep him company until that was arranged. He had a different idea. He called Washington and got the home phone number of the local US Consul. He woke her up and explained the problem. Less than an hour later, she brought him a freshly minted passport and we were soon on our way.
Modern technology, including e-mail and social media, has made it easier to get citizens’ concerns to officials. However, real access can happen only if those officials are willingly accessible to average people and respond to their needs in a timely fashion. King Abdullah’s directives are the catalyst that should get this transformation under way.

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