Much has been written about Crown Prince Abdullah’s recent visit to a poor neighborhood in Riyadh and the subsequent decision to establish a special fund to fight poverty in the Kingdom. “When you bowed to enter the door of that small house in that poor neighborhood, you stood tall and deservedly gained the respect and admiration of everyone in this country,” one columnist wrote.
Your Royal Highness, those who ruled before you as well as your brothers who share your responsibilities have done what is required of them. What you saw and experienced in that neighborhood is found in cities all over the country. To what you saw must be added the daily disappointments and frustrations experienced by citizens in such areas.
Despite the number of development plans we have had, the performance of certain sectors — including education and health — is substandard. Just look at the failure of our system to provide jobs for Saudi university graduates. One wonders how things would have turned out without all those impressive development plans.
Ministers tend to blame their failures on the Ministry of Finance and all of them complain of inadequate funding for their ministries and their projects. Some even speak of a cash shortage and an inability to carry on day-to-day affairs. There are, as you are surely aware, a number of such examples.
Once again, Your Royal Highness, I say that you have done what is required of you and that the blame lies with some ministers who consider their positions as a means of attaining social prominence and media attention.
If this were not the case, why haven’t they presented you with the bare facts and the unpleasant truths? Why aren’t these ministers questioned by the Shoura Council so that the truth may come out and be dealt with as it should be?
Many times in the past Your Royal Highness has issued instructions to government officials asking them to ensure that public complaints are heeded and public concerns are taken care of.
On many occasions, however, your instructions have not been heeded. This is especially noticeable in the service sectors where many people prefer to approach Your Royal Highness directly and present their grievances. They know that your door is always open to them when other officials have failed to address their problems. Those very officials have proven conclusively that they are not worth the trust and responsibility they enjoy.
Arab News From the Local Press 25 December 2002
