King Abdullah: Driving force behind progress, prosperity

Saudi Arabia’s National Day is a historic occasion not only to mark its unification and formation but also to celebrate its marvelous achievements.
Under the leadership of King Abdul Aziz and other Saudi rulers, the Kingdom gained rapid progress in various sectors, especially in education, health and industry.
Saudi Arabia, a member of G20, is now the largest and most stable economy in the Middle East with GDP amounting to $750 billion.
It has launched a major economic expansion plan involving a capital investment of more than $1 trillion in the next 10 years.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who ascended the Saudi throne in August 2005, has played a big role in accelerating the Kingdom’s modernization process within the scope of Shariah.
During his time, developmental activities took a gigantic pace, covering all parts of the country.
Balanced development of regions has been one of the hallmarks of the King’s initiatives in which no segment of society has been ignored.
His statesmanship, his leadership qualities, and his vision have earned him global respect and have catapulted Saudi Arabia into the top ranks of nations.
Since 2009, King Abdullah has been on Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s most influential people.
“King Abdullah has continued to pursue an agenda of moderate reforms in the Kingdom that contains 20 percent of the world’s known oil reserves and Islam’s two holiest sites. He granted women the right to vote in local elections,” wrote Forbes, an internationally reputable magazine.
The king recognized the importance of education, and gave the sector the priority it deserved.
In 2005, he launched a foreign scholarship program to send Saudi students to reputable universities around the world.
Nearly 200,000 Saudi nationals have benefited from the program so far.
He also implemented a SR9 billion project to develop the country’s public education system.
He allocated SR204 billion for education and manpower training in the current national budget.
The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, near Jeddah, a multinational research university, was another major contribution by the king.
King Abdullah’s landmark initiative for the empowerment of women has won him global applause.
He gave women the right to vote and run as candidates in local elections.
“We refuse to marginalize the role of women in Saudi society and in every aspect, within the rules of Shariah,” King Abdullah said. Women were also given the right to join the Shoura Council.
“We have decided that women will participate in the Shoura Council as members starting the next term,” the king said.
One of the most internationally recognized initiatives of King Abdullah has been his call for interfaith dialogue to promote global peace and security.
In November 2007, he visited Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, becoming the first Saudi king to have a meeting. In June 2008, he organized a conference of Islamic scholars and other influential figures in Makkah.
The following month Saudi Arabia and Spain jointly organized an interfaith dialogue conference in Madrid with the participation of religious leaders from all over the world.
The king’s vision later led to the establishment of the King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz International Center for Inter-religious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna.
While extending his hand of friendship to other religions, the king did not ignore his responsibilities toward the Ummah.
He launched a number of projects worth billions of riyals for the comfort of the Guests of Allah, including expansion of the two holy mosques in order to accommodate the increasing numbers of Muslim faithful who come from all over the world to perform Haj and Umrah.
Saudi Arabia has made remarkable progress in all spheres since King Abdullah became the ruler eight years ago.
During his prosperous era, the Kingdom has embarked upon developmental projects worth billions of riyals even as a major recession continues to affect well-established businesses around the globe.
He also announced a $400 billion package to improve education, health care and infrastructure.
In order to enhance the progress and prosperity of citizens, King Abdullah announced a series of social welfare projects worth more than SR600 billion.
They included plans to construct 500,000 new housing units in different parts of the Kingdom at a cost of SR250 billion, setting SR3,000 as minimum wage for Saudis, a two-month salary bonus for government workers and SR2,000 monthly unemployment allowance for Saudi nationals.
He raised the real estate loan ceiling from SR300,000 to SR500,000 per applicant and took effective steps to solve unemployment among young Saudi men and women.
The king opened a number of mega economic cities in various parts of the country to promote domestic and foreign investment and create more jobs for Saudi nationals.
They include King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh, Prince Abdulaziz bin Musaed Economic City in Hail, Jazan Economic City, Economic Knowledge City in Madinah and King Abdullah Financial Center in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia has long been recognized as an economic powerhouse in the Middle East.
“Now it is poised to become one of the world’s top 10 most competitive nations and with that one of the most lucrative markets for strategic investment,” said Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority.
Saudi officials have highlighted the unprecedented progress achieved by the Kingdom during King Abdullah’s era.
“The massive development witnessed by Saudi Arabia has covered all sectors and services,” said Shoura Council President Abdullah Al-Asheikh, adding that the number of public universities in the country grew from seven to 25 during his rule.
“Saudi Arabia has been in forefront of nations in supporting Arab and Islamic causes,” he added.
Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Al-Naimi emphasized the Kingdom’s role in stabilizing international energy market, thus positively contributing to the global economic recovery and development.
“Saudi Arabia has been following a balanced policy while dealing with international political and economic issues,” he said.
King Abdullah’s vision and farsightedness has enabled the Kingdom to maintain its position as the largest oil exporter in the world. He referred to the government’s efforts to establish two mineral industrial cities in the Eastern and Northern provinces.
Speaking to Arab News, Mohammed Tayeb, director general of the Foreign Ministry’s branch office in the Makkah province, stressed King Abdullah’s efforts to enhance the welfare and well being of Saudis and promote world peace.
“His interfaith dialogue initiative has been widely applauded,” he said.
Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, chief of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques, thanked Allah for bestowing his great blessings on the Kingdom and its people.
He emphasized the importance of unity and solidarity between Saudi rulers and citizens to take the Kingdom to new heights of progress and prosperity.
Huda Al-Ameel, president of Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) in Riyadh, said the huge campus was completed in a record time of less than three years at a cost of SR20 billion on the instructions of King Abdullah.
“We are grateful to the king for this vital project, which will surely encourage PNU staff and students to exploit this state-of-the art facility to excel in education,” she added.