Saudi Arabia is changing, slowly but surely. The cautious pace at which the country is opening up may not amount to a hill of beans for its detractors, but for those living here it is a clear signal that they can begin to breathe more easy. The winds of change are especially soothing as the Kingdom’s strong fundamentals — the time-tested system of governance, religious establishment, free market economy and, most importantly, its social cohesion — are assiduously kept in tact regardless of extenuating circumstances. Mercifully, the value system is also firmly in place.
What is more discernible in the emerging new order is that the national psyche — described variously as secretive, highly restrictive, inward looking, conceited, extravagant, flamboyant, egocentric with an overdose of religious fervor — is undergoing a sea-change.
An instant after effect of the ongoing reforms which encompass the whole gamut of life — politics, economy, religion, sociology — is reflected in the way freedom of expression has discovered its meaning. The mystery and magic of the printed word have never been so pronounced as one finds in the columns of national publications. The press is breaking loose from its shackles, often the result of editorial paranoia working overtime. Drab, dreary accounts of sycophancy that once ruled the roost are now history. What is "in" is a bolder flow of thoughts. A spade is now called a spade, and before long it might be called a bloody shovel. Criticism that once was taboo is now the order of the day, with both the rulers and the ruled opening up in a freewheeling exchange of ideas. The time for greater truth and transparency has arrived.
The electronic media is still to make real waves, but when spring comes summer can’t be far behind.
Let me take you on a tour of the emerging landscape, which Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, has struggled to shape over the past two years.
He fired his first political salvo with a bold Middle East peace initiative, offering Israel peace and security in exchange for total withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territories. It won the support of the world community but got bogged down in the face of Israeli intransigence and indiscriminate killing of innocent Palestinians.
On the Iraq issue, the Kingdom has taken a principled stand — that its territory is not available to the US to attack the Arab country — and got other Arab states to rally behind against a possible US strike. It worked behind the scenes to persuade Baghdad to allow unfettered access to its arsenal, which allegedly contain weapons of mass destruction.
At home, the Shoura Council (consultative council) is expected to be given a shot in the arm, with more powers and hopefully much needed executive teeth. Top princes recently attended council sessions signaling the shape of things to come.
Human rights also came under the spotlight with the first ever visit of a UN human rights official to the Kingdom. Dato Cumaraswamy returned home after a week-long visit during which the jails, courts and other judicial agencies were thrown open for him to take a good look. He did not see any sign of rights violations, nor did he find fault with the judicial system based on the Shariah. But he did suggest improvements in the dispensation of justice and said some of the judges themselves were resisting positive changes.
The announcement, though belated, by Interior Minister Prince Naif that 100 Al-Qaeda activists were being held for questioning came as another sign of openness in public affairs.
Charity organizations, accused by Western powers of aiding and abetting Islamist terrorism, have been strictly told to be transparent in their activities and make sure relief reaches the poor and needy, including those within the Kingdom. Charity and Islamic dawa activities will continue unhindered but charities should now operate within certain strict constraints to ensure that no fund will reach the wrong hands. Muftis, imams and khatibs, who together guard and nurture the faith, were told that moderation, not extremism, is the buzzword. Mosques cannot be used as a political platform to perpetuate political ideology, be it of any coloration.
Religious police, who enforce morality and decorum in the streets, have been told they must now be lenient in the application of religious laws and people must not be harassed and personal privacy must be respected.
Empowerment of Saudi women is slowly becoming a reality, with more and more vistas being opened for them to function. Driving licenses for women may be a far cry but efforts are under way to widen the scope of their participation in mainstream life. In a country where less than 10 percent of eligible women are actually employed, the government is taking keen interest in tapping the enormous employment potential of its female work force. Of course, within the social and religious constraints which calls for gender segregation. A system of separate IDs for women has been introduced and employed women are now allowed to hire housemaids and drivers.
Girls’ education and the safety of their schools also came under the spotlight after 15 girls perished in a fire that gutted a public school in Makkah last year. New, secure buildings are being constructed across the country to house girls schools.
English is proposed to be introduced from Class IV in an effort to popularize use of the language and thus expose children to a new world of knowledge.
Separate youth clubs for both genders are also on the anvil to make social life more purposeful.
The resilience of the oil-driven national economy became evident with the establishment of a Supreme Economic Council and a privatization drive that is now in top gear. The country is offering foreign investors a level playing field in which to operate. Its ambitious multibillion-dollar gas initiative is a case in point. Several vital sectors including civil aviation, health care, highway management, petrochemicals have all been thrown open for private investment. Its negative list for foreign investment is being reviewed to open more sectors for foreign investment. Conditions are being made conducive to attract investments, including migrant Saudi funds.
In order to clear its $180 billion public debt to the domestic sector, a massive disinvestments strategy has been put in place. Telecommunications monopoly Saudi Telecom is going public on Dec. 17, with the flotation of 90 million shares (30 percent of its total).
More and more jobs are being reserved for Saudis in an attempt to ease the country’s growing unemployment rate, put at over 20 percent. As many as 22 key job sectors were Saudized recently before expatriate taxi drivers were told to make room for nationals. Thousands of new jobs will thus created to cater for the teeming jobless. Training is provided by the government and private establishments to those who are not equipped to be employed.
A poverty alleviation strategy is being evolved by the Ministry of Labor after the crown prince made a surprise visit to a poor neighborhood in Riyadh last week. Poverty and deprivation in a country where every 10th person is a millionaire is a contradiction in terms and an embarrassment. The very admission of the existence of the poor in the midst of plenty is a clear sign of openness whose time has come.
No one argues that everything in Saudi Arabia is rosy. Plenty needs to be done to create real social equilibrium, where the wide gulf between the rich and poor is bridged.
A lot needs to be done on the social and cultural front as well.
But a good beginning has been made.
Arab News Review article 28 November 2002
