Had I not been a strong believer in market freedom and the concept of a free economy, which makes it imperative on the government not to intervene in the affairs of the market, I would have hoped for a royal decree ordering the private sector also to pay employees two-month salaries.
The private sector would never have reached its current position had it not been for the lavish government spending on the economy and the billions spent by citizens at the end of every month.
I would not be deviating from reality if I were to say that the private sector’s response to the two-month salary bonus has been shy and humble, especially since there are over 200,000 private companies and establishments with revenues that are no less than the government’s budget.
Banks do not pay a single riyal in interest to the million customers who deal with them. They also fail to repay the good done to them by the nation by donating to welfare projects. Operation and maintenance companies annually make over SR32 billion in government contracts. Every major car hire company has a fleet of thousands of cars. Just imagine how much money they make each year and also keep in mind the small number of Saudis who work for them.
There are over 42,000 sales representatives employed by supply companies. Has any of you seen a Saudi among them? Without generalizing, there is corruption in this particular sector and opportunities to take bribes. Why are there no Saudis in these types of jobs? What qualifications do those employed in these jobs need to have? Why do we not allow Saudis to benefit from these jobs for which those employed do not need particular degrees?
Over SR7.3 billion is generated annually from the sale of medicines and medical accessories. Have you seen any Saudi employed in this job? The income generated from this sector alone is well over the budget given to King Saud University, which employs over 7,000 people. Why can’t we get Saudis into these sectors via royal decrees to cut down the number of unemployed Saudis?
It is a pity that the private sector is so miserly not to pay its employees an additional two-month salary despite the money it makes from the Saudi government and Saudi citizens.
