JEDDAH: Citizens yesterday renewed their allegiance and support to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Prince Naif on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the pledge of allegiance to King Abdullah on his assumption of power.
“The Kingdom’s achievements in various fields since King Abdullah’s coming to power is a matter that every citizen should be proud of,” Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman said.
Prince Salman added that King Abdullah has been striving to complete the march of progress in the country started by King Abdul Aziz and continued by King Saud, King Faisal, King Khaled and King Fahd.
The fourth anniversary of King Abdullah assuming power as the sixth king falls on the 26th of Jamad Al-Thani, the day King Fahd passed away: Aug. 1, 2005. The anniversary falls today because the Kingdom follows the lunar calendar.
As a result of King Abdullah’s efforts to bring the country to the ranks of developed countries, rapid overall progress has been made in the economy, education, health care, society, transport, communications, industry, electricity generation, water supply and agriculture.
“The political, economic, educational and social reforms set in motion by King Abdullah guarantee the unimpeded march of the Kingdom toward the goals envisioned by the late King Abdul Aziz, the founder of the Kingdom,” the chairman of the Allegiance Commission, Prince Mishaal, said in a statement.
The king approved the record budget of SR475 billion last year aimed at the overall progress in the country. The king also established last year the National Commission for Honesty and Anti-Corruption, the General Authority for Housing and the Consumer Protection Association. The king ordered a hike in the salary of all government officials in 2005. Billions of riyals have been allocated to build housing for low-income families and for other social development projects, including business development to help create jobs for Saudis, especially women.
Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal underscored King Abdullah’s efforts to bring about international and regional peace by promoting the dialogue in the region, not just between Hamas and Fatah but also between various inter-religious groups in Iraq and the region as a whole. “King Abdullah has aimed not only at the acceleration of the fusion between the rulers and the ruled in the political arena but also intended to create a future in line with a national vision steeped in the teachings of the Book of Allah and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),” Prince Saud added.
Emphasizing the importance of an internal dialogue within the Muslim Ummah, King Abdullah told Muslim leaders during the Haj last year to oppose “sedition, ignorance and fanaticism” that he said are “threatening the aspirations of Muslims.” About 30 world leaders attended the interfaith dialogue initiated by King Abdullah at the United Nations in New York in November. The king has also ushered his country to the global stage in the G-20 and the World Trade Organization. Several economic cities have cropped up in the Kingdom, aimed at creating more opportunities for economic development.
Identifying the significance of making the Kingdom a knowledge-based nation for economic and social progress, King Abdullah increased the number of Kingdom’s universities from eight to 21 and opened institutes of technology and health sciences and colleges for women. The establishment of the massive King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, which is to be opened on National Day, is another milestone in his achievement. The number of students sent for studies under the foreign scholarship program increased to 50,000 last year from 2,900 when he assumed power.
King Abdullah has shown special interest in the care and development of the two holy mosques. He has allocated SR10 billion for the expansion of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the holy sites. A SR4.7-billion expansion project is being carried out at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
Three stories of the SR4-billion Jamrat Bridge project were completed last year, easing the potentially dangerous crowding conditions at one of the more challenging aspects of the pilgrimage. When completed, the expansion of the Masaa (area between Al-Safa and Al-Marwah) will have an increased capacity of 120,000 pilgrims per hour. A major expansion of the Haram is ongoing.
In 2007 the government offered more than $1 billion in aid to Lebanon. Riyadh also strove for mending relations between Sudan and Chad. The king sponsored a national reconciliation meeting between Somali factions in Jeddah in 2007.
