JEDDAH, 25 February 2003 — The new political reforms proposed last month by a group of intellectuals to Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, have not been passed to the Shoura Council for debate, it was revealed yesterday.
“This matter has not yet been presented to the Shoura Council for discussion,” Dr. Saleh ibn Abdullah Humaid, chairman of the council, told Al-Jazirah newspaper.
He was referring to a series of reforms, including elections to the Shoura and Provincial Councils, proposed by Saudi intellectuals and academics.
Humaid added that Prince Abdullah had invited the intellectuals to meet him so he could listen to their viewpoints on a wide variety of issues.
“The meeting was also an encouragement to the intellectuals on the part of the rulers,” the Arabic daily quoted Humaid as saying.
According to an earlier report in Al-Riyadh newspaper, Prince Abdullah had discussed vital issues with the intellectuals in order to promote transparency and freedom of expression in the Kingdom while deepening Islamic values in Saudi society.
“The topics discussed with the crown prince included prospects of holding elections to the Shoura Council,” Al-Riyadh reported.
A number of reformists who attended last month’s meeting in Riyadh described their discussions with the crown prince as “constructive.”
Asked about prospects of women’s participation in the Shoura Council as members and consultants, Humaid said: “The Shoura has been making use of women’s expertise in debates on issues related to them since its inception.”
Refuting criticisms of Shoura delegations’ visit to foreign parliaments, Humaid said such visits were aimed at learning from the experience of others.
“The Shoura is an open body. It’s not closed to new ideas,” he added.
Humaid highlighted the importance of Shoura decisions.
“The Council of Ministers has no authority to change Shoura decisions, except with the approval of the king,” he pointed out.
“If there is any difference of opinion between the Cabinet and the Shoura on a particular issue, it will be referred to the king so that he can choose what he thinks is the best opinion,” he explained.
The Shoura chief urged the media to keep away from sensational reporting.
“We are ready to provide them with all assistance to carry out their mission,” he added.
Al-Watan daily quoted Humaid as saying that election to the Shoura was permitted according to Islamic principles.
“Islam does not give any definite pattern for the application of the Shoura system. It could be in the form of a nominated group or through election or by appointment. It has different forms,” he explained.
The Shoura’s weekly meeting in Riyadh yesterday called for effective measures to tackle poverty in the county. The meeting made this call while discussing a report of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, which also highlighted its efforts to solve unemployment.
In major boost to the council, it has also been revealed that the Shoura’s membership of the Geneva-based Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU) has now become a certainty. This follows the IPU executive committee’s recommendation to the next IPU council in Chile to include the Shoura in the world people’s body.
A delegation of IPU, headed by its Chairperson Dr. Najma Heptullah of India, visited the Kingdom recently to see the working of the Shoura Council and later recommended its induction as an IPU member. Kuwait and Morocco are among the Middle Eastern countries that are members of the IPU.
