RIYADH, 4 February 2008 - Minister of Culture and Information Iyad Madani has reportedly given orders to the Shoura Council to ban Saudi journalists from attending the Shoura session in which he was to appear yesterday. Saudi journalists who made their way to attend the session were turned away.
Royal security guards usually have a list of journalists allowed access to the Shoura chamber, but yesterday the guards had no list and therefore no media representatives were allowed access.
Arab News attempted to contact Madani but the minister's assistants repeatedly said he was busy.
Shoura Council President Sheikh Saleh Bin-Humeid had earlier stated to the press that banning journalists from attending sessions of ministers was against the policy of openness that the Shoura aims for.
Officials from Shoura's Public Relations and Media Department told reporters last year that the banning of journalists who care to attend ministers' session is based on requests from the ministers themselves.
Banning journalists from sessions involving ministers is not uncommon, but in this case journalists were shut out of a session involving the minister in charge of media communications in Saudi Arabia.
Even the official Saudi Press Agency did not post any information on Madani's address to the Shoura as of yesterday evening.
The Shoura Council has a consultative role in passing or objecting to articles and laws that are later approved by the Council of Ministers. Even though the council does not have the power to interrogate ministers on their ministry's spending, budget, or strategies, as with parliaments in other countries, ministers tend to share their views and answer questions from Shoura members as part of public participation.
The king currently appoints Shoura members. No indication has been given to whether they would be elected in the near future. Members serve a four-year-term after which their term is often extended. A member can serve up to three terms in a row. The consultative body currently does not have women members but has employed several women consultants to attend some sessions and share their views on different topics.
