JEDDAH, 25 December 2003 — The newly appointed state minister for the Shoura Council, who is an information technology expert, has said that he would set up a central database and coordinate between the Cabinet and the consultative body.
“It would be premature to discuss the details of my work now. But it will begin with coordinating between the two councils on topics they debate,” said Dr. Saud ibn Saeed Al-Mathami after his appointment on Tuesday.
The creation of the new post comes three weeks after Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd issued a royal decree bringing about substantial changes in the Shoura system and giving additional powers to the 120-member body.
Al-Mathami, who was a Shoura member, said his appointment was part of a process of organizational reforms in the Kingdom. He described the Shoura’s next phase as “both significant and sensitive.”
He emphasized the need for coordination between the Cabinet and the Shoura on issues and laws that come up for debate. “The new database will further integrate the two councils,” Okaz Arabic daily quoted him as saying.
King Fahd appointed Al-Mathami upon the recommendation of Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard.
The 45-year-old new state minister has a doctorate degree in computer science from the University of London and a master’s degree in computer science and information systems from Florida State University in the United States.
Al-Mathami has worked as a lecturer at King Saud University in Riyadh, Florida State University and London University. He was appointed vice president of International Systems Engineering Company for operations in 1995.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Zamil, a Shoura member, welcomed the new appointment, which came in response to a proposal made by the Shoura. He said that he hoped the move would speed up the implementation of government decisions.
Economist Ihsan Bu-Hulaiga, also a Shoura member, described the creation of the new post as an important step. “We want to have an eye in the Cabinet,” Reuters quoted him as saying. “I don’t have any doubt that in the future we’ll have elections, at various levels, including the Shoura Council,” Bu-Hulaiga said, pointing to a series of reforms in recent months.
In October the Kingdom announced plans to hold partial local elections in 2004. Semi-official reports have since said elections would be held within three years for one- third of the Shoura Council and that half the members of regional councils would be elected within two years.
In a press briefing in Riyadh on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal confirmed the Kingdom’s plan to go ahead with political and economic reforms; he pointed out, however, that the changes would take time.
