Crown Prince Sultan’s visit to Singapore assumes manifold importance because it marks a milestone not only in Saudi-Singapore relations but also in the perception of Saudi Arabia in the Far East.
Although relations between the two countries have been cordial for the past 30 years there has been growing uneasiness about Saudi Arabia in the last few years — particularly after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Singaporeans have been fed a daily diet of anti-Saudi propaganda as a result of the smear campaign by a large contingent in the Western media. During my visit to Singapore in 2004 I delivered a lecture about the Kingdom.
I found the audience very skeptical. They questioned the Kingdom’s motives even in giving aid to less-developed countries.
The lack of official contact helped those troublemakers indulge in their campaign of misinformation and take it to absurd levels. Politicians, media people and others without clear information about the Kingdom parroted the same lines making little or no effort to discover the truth. The visit by the crown prince gave the people of Singapore the opportunity to change that perception. Here is a leader of the Kingdom who commands respect. He speaks with authority and candor and is known for his frankness when meeting political and business leaders.
In Singapore, the crown prince consistently outlined the Kingdom’s aims of global peace and prosperity. Accompanied by Saudi officials and businessmen, the crown prince made it clear the Kingdom wants to increase global economic partnerships. Strong economies bring stability and security, and the Kingdom’s oil policies reflect this.
Saudi Arabia has always aimed for reasonable oil prices and considered them as being in the best, long-term interests of the Kingdom. The Kingdom continues to expand its capacity to those ends. A variety of global market factors have been the cause of spiraling oil prices recently. The Kingdom has moved to mitigate the adverse effects those prices exact on Asian economies.
Addressing an overflow crowd at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, the crown prince spoke with persuasion and conviction when he detailed the Kingdom’s desire for the peaceful resolution of international disagreements and disputes through dialogue.
He also emphasized that the potential economic cooperation between the Kingdom and its many Asian neighbors was greater now than at any time in the past.
He highlighted the many efforts under way to open the Kingdom’s economy in a way that encourages mutually beneficial foreign investments and partnerships.
If there were perceptions in Singapore that Saudi Arabia’s economy was a closed system, they are now gone. If any members of that audience arrived with misconceptions about the Kingdom, they left with a clearer understanding of Saudi Arabia and the aspirations of its people for a future of shared prosperity.
However, to my mind, the most positive result was the political message delivered to the people of Singapore that the march of reform and progress in the Kingdom is unstoppable, and it is creating a modern society destined to play an increasingly more meaningful role in global affairs.
In the case of Asian affairs, Saudi Arabia’s growing influence will be marked by friendship, noninterference and positive contributions to regional stability.
The men and women of Saudi Arabia want to be active participants in both global business and global affairs, and they are charting a course for the future that will enable them to be far more than bystanders in this ever-more-competitive world. The tools for that journey are education, science and technology.
These tools are being created in Saudi Arabia through massive and meaningful societal reforms.
History books are filled with examples of the intellectual leadership of the Arab people in the past, including medicine, science and mathematics. The stage is being set today for more such meaningful contributions tomorrow.
With vast experience in politics, economics and social affairs, the crown prince convincingly laid out the Saudi quest for development.
Many analysts with whom I spoke said it was the first time they had gotten to meet a Saudi leader and hear firsthand the Kingdom’s plans and priorities for the future.
It was as if an ugly mask created through misinformation and Western media manipulation had been torn away, and the people of Singapore got to see the true face of the Saudi people. It is the face of a true friend, with eyes conveying interest and trust, eyebrows raised in anticipation of the future and a warm smile for the fellow-travelers striving to create a better tomorrow for all the peoples of the world. This was the high point of the crown prince’s visit, and it is a moment in which all the people of Saudi Arabia should take pride.
