Be active on Twitter: Ministers must use social media to ‘communicate’

JEDDAH: Despite having many followers on Twitter, several Saudi ministers do not engage with users, raising questions about whether they are aware of citizens’ concerns, according to a press report on Tuesday.
Many users believe ministers should promote direct communication with citizens on social media, which would allow them to receive feedback and complaints, and deal with matters urgently to improve service delivery. Five ministers have yet to establish accounts on Twitter: Municipal and rural affairs, justice, transport, finance, and Islamic affairs.
Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir has 813,000 followers, but only follows 45 accounts, the majority private embassies and foreign ministries around the world. His tweets, which are in Arabic and English, are often replied to and re-tweeted by his followers.
Minister of Health Tawfiq Al-Rabiah has more than 1.7 million followers, but follows only 99 accounts of other ministers, health institutions, his past ministry, and some journalists and media professionals. The minister periodically reacts to news events and re-tweets from the Ministry of Health’s account regarding ministerial meetings and events. He also participates in the hashtag “reforming the ministry of health,” in which he praises those who made suggestions. None of his posts have been re-tweeted.
Minister of Education Ahmed Al-Issa has 400,000 followers, despite being one of the last ministers to register on Twitter, and follows only 19 accounts of educational institutions and other ministries. He reacts to everything posted by the ministry’s spokesman and news regarding education in the Kingdom, and placed the logo of Vision 2030 on his account.
Tweets from the Minister of Economy and Planning Adel Fakeih have declined after he took up a new post. He has 382,000 followers and follows 14 accounts. Minister of Labor and Social Development Mufrej Al-Haqabani has 150,000 followers and follows 67 accounts. Similarly, Minister of Civil Service Khaled Al-Araj follows only 13 accounts and has 185,000 followers.
Despite the importance of the Ministry of Housing, the minister’s account is as inactive as his counterparts’, with only 48,000 followers and five followed accounts. Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Toraifi should be more engaged but has only 34,929 followers and follows 10 users.
Likewise, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammed Al-Suwaiyel has 34,700 followers and only follows 19 accounts, while Minister of Haj and Umrah Mohammed Bentin has 9,093 followers and follows 26 accounts.