Today is our National Day, the day our country became the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This year it seems only right to mark the day with some analytical thought and profound introspection. We must stop, look and think and act only with great care and circumspection.
Since circumstances seem to have forced us to pause, perhaps the time is right to look at the paths already taken, the mountains already climbed, the successes already achieved. In looking back, we should not allow ourselves to indulge in an orgy of self-glorification, self-congratulation and self-satisfaction. There may be grounds for those within certain limits but anyone who thinks carefully and analyzes precisely will quickly grasp that this behavior is nothing but counterproductive. We may be justifiably pleased with the past but we have to live in the present and prepare for the future. If we fail to do so, we will be left with nothing but a past that recedes further and further into the distance as time moves on. And though it is right to honor and respect much in the past, we must make ourselves a present and a future.
Ignoring the present and future would be tragic for us. It would also be a betrayal of our heritage, especially in view of the achievements of our forefathers whose vision and desire for improvement led them to create a modern state out of the sands of an unmapped desert. There are important — and very pertinent — lessons to be learned from the experience of the independent tribal units in that desert which ultimately became a single nation. Some of the most important lessons are the value and advantages of cooperation, the strength that comes from unity and the power that comes from right. We must learn once again — since it seems we are often in danger of forgetting — how to keep in our hearts and our children’s hearts a national consciousness that transcends all narrow and petty loyalties. We must learn to put the common good before the personal and the public good before the private. These are not easy lessons so we should expect to struggle and strive as we make the effort which will not be easy.
Development that took scores of years in other places occurred in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in a fraction of the time. Compared to development in many other countries, we had little time to adjust to the rapid changes and technological advances which were thrust upon us. The story of that journey — from camels to cars and airplanes, from candles to electricity and computers, from widespread illiteracy to schools and colleges in every corner of the country — is a fascinating one. The grandparents of us who read this piece were born in that earlier world and lived to see it transformed almost beyond recognition. In telling that story, we acknowledge our roots and our history. In addition, we remind ourselves and our children that the roads, schools, hospitals, airports, shopping malls and other appendages of modern life did not simply spring up here like a plant in rich watered soil. Hard work, both physical and mental, over a number of years produced what we enjoy today in the Kingdom. Equally hard work put every single brick into place and pushed every obstacle aside.
The credit for determining the nature and direction of Saudi Arabia’s development was essentially the vision of a most rare and unusual man. He was a man who could make the necessary imaginative leaps and see ahead of his time: Abdul Aziz ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Saud. Born to lead and to inspire love in those who followed him, he was one of a rare breed of men who could move forward with changing times yet never lose touch with his roots. He united almost the entire Arabian Peninsula and created a nation.
Even in that distant past, when we had only very limited financial resources and virtually no international experience, the Kingdom accepted the challenges and assumed its responsibilities in both Arab and global affairs. Saudi Arabia was among the founders of the Arab League as well as of the United Nations. Though non-interference in the domestic affairs of other nations is a basic tenet of its foreign policy, it has never hesitated to stand on the side of right and justice and to follow tenaciously the directives and precepts of Islam.
The Kingdom’s generosity is well-known and well-documented. There are few developing nations that have not benefited from Saudi aid given by various Saudi agencies. Wherever there is human misery and human need the Kingdom has extended the hand of generosity to all, whether Muslim or non-Muslim.
Since its earliest days, the Kingdom has been blessed with continuing security and stability. This is due in large part to the ability of those who carry out the task of governing with dedication and concern for all citizens whom they serve. In these days of global and regional crisis we must remember the lessons learned from our history and traditions. We could do no better than to emulate the strength of character and purpose of King Abdul Aziz and our forefathers. It is time for us all to seize the opportunity of our National Day and stand united, with our faith as a shining beacon to guide us and an anchor to steady us on the path of Islam and its noble teachings.
