The Ministry of Commerce and Industry took a bold step when it decided to allow businesswomen to stand for election to the board of directors of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI). There is nothing unusual in the decision since women are qualified to be members of its board of directors with the same rights as the male members who have monopolized the board for the past half century or so.
It is very reasonable to ask in this context why the Commerce Ministry does not take even more democratic decisions — such as reviewing the practice of electing only half the directors of the chamber of commerce and appointing the other half. The reason why the ministry appoints members is its desire to guarantee that the board has highly capable members, alongside those who are elected, perhaps for reasons other than their business acumen. However, some believe that there is no justification in continuing the practice as, these days, people in general and businessmen in particular are more aware than in the past. An average elector has a relatively high level of maturity which qualifies him to elect members with the necessary expertise.
On the other hand, the board of directors of JCCI, according to Saleh Al-Turki, has failed to achieve its declared goals. The failure may be attributed to differences of opinion between the two groups on the board — the elected and the nominated members. Under these circumstances, it may not be possible to blame only the elected members for the failures. At the same time, elected members can always pass the blame on to the nominated members.
Dr. Hussein Shoboukshi believes that people representing professions such as medicine, engineering and auditing should enter the election without leaving the field exclusively to businessmen and industrialists.
It is quite clear that some businessmen feel the need for a review of the rules governing the election within the chamber. This is because the world has changed, and outlooks and perceptions have undergone many changes. Modern elections cannot be conducted with antiquated tools. The entire process has to be looked at in the light of current developments, especially since we are now on the threshold of joining the World Trade Organization. The most qualified people to lead us through the maze of trade regulations are seasoned businessmen and experienced industrialists. Therefore let us allow them to take the best decisions for us.
