KSA and the eastern giant

BEFORE talking about politics and economy, let me admire Saudi Arabia’s move to establish stronger relations with China. It opens a new dimension of cultural interaction with an astonishing people. This was evident from the experiences shared by Saudi students during the state visit of Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, to China.

We know that the royal visit was extremely important, especially because of the good timing and the deep-rooted ties between the two countries. It was quite clear that strategic topics would be discussed during the historic visit from the line up of ministers who accompanied the crown prince. But everything was done quietly without making any hue and cry.

We got an opportunity to meet with the crown prince, who informed us about the significance of the China visit and hallmarks of the Saudi diplomacy at this stage. He also spoke about the new framework that has been set out for developing the Kingdom’s international ties with the aim of achieving balance and economic stability.

For the first time I heard five Saudi ministers talking about the result of the crown prince’s meetings. They are the ministers of petroleum and mineral resources; finance; commerce and industry; information; and foreign affairs. They briefed us about new developments in Saudi-Chinese relations especially in the areas of energy, investment, trade exchange and international politics.

This gave us the impression that we know what to do to safeguard our national interests. The crown prince’s visit was a continuation of the two previous visits conducted by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. This reflects Saudi Arabia’s desire to strengthen its strategic relations with China, the second largest economy in the world. The move to cement ties with China reflects the Kingdom’s futuristic vision.

— By Hamoud Abu Taleb

Nazaha be taken seriously

SOME government officials make use of the media to exaggerate their achievements and appease higher authorities. But often such media reports do not conform to the reality. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha), which was set by the government to ensure fairness and transparency and fight financial and administrative corruption, recently published a report pinpointing this contradiction.

Nazaha has pointed out that the national program to assist the unemployed Saudis did not achieve its objectives. It also stated that the Labor Ministry had failed to realize the strategic objectives set by the Cabinet.

The commission has presented a report to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah after exchanging information with the ministry. The report pointed out that the ministry had failed to solve the country’s unemployment problem and cutting down the number of expats.

Nazaha reported that the number of recruitment visas issued in 2010 and 2011 rose by 14 percent after it declined by 22 percent in 2009.

The Human Resource Development Fund’s director-general released a report to the media in response to Nazaha and blamed young Saudis for refusing to accept jobs offered to them by the private sector. The HRDF chief’s move was to create doubt about the commission’s report and this would have a negative impact on the organization’s credibility and performance.

In my opinion no government department or official should be allowed to reply to Nazaha through the media. Nazaha’s reports are presented to King Abdullah, who is the only authority to reply to them.

— By Abdullah Dahlan

Helping the computer illiterate

COMPUTER literacy is no longer a luxury and has become an essential part of our lives. We are living in an age of globalization and IT revolution. We have to learn computer in order to make use of the various electronic services, especially the government services like “Abshir” of the Passport Department.

Everybody is happy over the quick electronic services being provided by various government departments, which have made their lives much easier. But there are many people, especially the elderly and retired government officials, divorcees and widows who do not know how to make use of these electronic services because of old age and computer illiteracy.

When a person gets old he/she would not have the ability to learn new things like computer and the Internet. They have to fill certain forms and make use of electronic services to protect their rights and get some of their things done. Some elderly may get the assistance of their children or grandchildren but there are others who have to approach strangers to get things done. This will expose them to exploitation.

I request the government to open special offices to take care of these groups of people and provide them with required electronic services.

— By Ebtehaj Al-Menyawi

Inheritance of goodness

AN elderly woman entered the office of a philanthropist, introduced herself and told the man who was in the chair: “I used to get some financial assistance from your late father every year and I have learned that you have stopped this assistance. Will you review your decision considering my situation?”

The young man in the chair, who has inherited a huge wealth from his father, was not moved by the woman’s request for help but tried to keep her away from the office, saying: “You don’t need any help and you live in a palace.” The woman tried to convince the man about her difficult financial situation but the man gave a deaf year to her pleas.

Many rich Saudi philanthropists consider the difficult financial situation of the needy people in the society and extend them assistance every month or every year. This has been a wonderful Saudi tradition but many of their children have forgotten that good example set by their forefathers.

In modern days, it is very difficult to determine the need of a person and we may not be able to say that a person is poor or needy. But in reality there are many people facing hardships.

According to the viewpoint of the young man mentioned above, a person who owns a car could not be considered poor. But in our society having a car is a must for a person’s movement, sometimes it is more important than food.

I know that there are many philanthropists in Riyadh and other parts of the Kingdom who set aside a considerable portion of their wealth to help people in need. This is a noble culture we have inherited from our forefathers and those who inherit huge wealth from their parents should not forget the good work and morals of their parents and grandparents.

— By Mohammed Al-Yami

Violence in Qatif

THE latest statement — signed by 10 prominent religious personalities in the eastern Saudi city of Qatif — has condemned violence and expressed their opposition to terrorist activities in the region. This is not just a statement but also a responsible stand taken by prominent personalities, including writers and intellectuals to put an end to the chaos and confusion.

The statement is very important as violence contributes to creating divisions and disunity among the Saudis. We should admire these personalities for taking up their social responsibility to safeguard peace and harmony in the country.

Let us evaluate the result of violence. Awamiya, which has given birth to a large number of Saudi intellectuals and religious personalities, has been making headlines in recent weeks because of violence in the area.

We will not be able to talk about Awamiya without mentioning personalities like Sheikh Jaafar Abulmakarim, author of more than 50 books, Sheikh Mohammed Al-Namir, a philosopher-cum-doctor, and Sheikh Wajeeh Salman Al-Faraj, owner of the most famous endowment in that region.

Qatif is also famous for a number of other well-known personalities in various fields. Mohammed Nasr Al-Faraj of Saudi Aramco, who has obtained a doctorate in geophysics, Dr. Abdul Wahid Al-Moshaikhes, director of surgery clinics at King Fahd Hospital, Dr. Omaima Al-Zaher, specialist in pediatric neurology and Mohammed Abufour, who has won an international prize, are some of them.

There are many other famous personalities in this region but when violence erupts these people are forgotten and the criminals make headlines. We should not allow some extremists to hijack this great place in our beloved Kingdom, tarnish its image and destroy its achievements.

— By Mirza Al-Khuwailedi