Al-Maliki-ISIL alliance

The victory of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki in recently held elections is almost certain. During his previous term, he used the opportunity to transform his political rivals into defendants charged with different crimes, to be sentenced to various punishments including execution.

We don’t know whether Al-Maliki would be able to complete his term this time because of the massive opposition against him. He has refused to accept all peaceful options and reserved him the right to incriminate and punish his opponents.

The sectarian alliance formed by Al-Maliki with the support of Iran will prevent Iraq from returning to the previous era. He has become a politician who enjoys sectarian reverence and his Sunni allies like Saleh Al-Mutlaq do not like him.

The only alliance that is liable to continue is that of Al-Maliki and Daesh (ISIL). Former US President George Bush, the son, was the first to implement the theory of clash of civilizations on the ground. Al-Maliki, on the other hand, is set to implement a sectarian clash in the country and the best agency that can support him in this venture is Daesh.

— By Dr. Mutlaq Saud Al-Motairy

Iran’s dirty politics

At a time when the world is awaiting results of Iraq’s parliamentary elections, the New York Times reported that Iran was supporting Nouri Al-Maliki to have a third term as prime minister of the country. US intelligence reports have also indicated that Tehran was backing some of Al-Maliki’s Shiite rivals to ensure Shiite dominance.

This means Iran is trying to strength laying the sectarian card in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. It was achieving the same goal while supporting the Houthis in Yemen and the Shiite opposition in Bahrain. Actually there is nothing new in this Iranian policy. There is big opposition against Tehran playing the sectarian card in the region.

We have seen Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr opposing Al-Maliki for exploiting sectarian differences to achieve his political goals. In Lebanon, the Hezbollah has been criticized for battling alongside Bashar Assad forces in Syria. Shiite scholars in Saudi Arabia have also criticized machinations by interest groups to exploit sectarianism.

— By Tariq Alhomayed

The dignity of judiciary

The Council of Ministers has issued a decision on bouncing checks. The decision has given the check its due dignity. The Cabinet passed a law that calls for immediate arrest of those playing with commercial papers. Now the Justice Ministry has followed suit by taking steps to restore the dignity of its verdicts.

For the first time after the ministry issued the law for implementing its verdicts two years ago, a father was jailed for refusing to implement its verdict that allowed his divorced wife to visit their daughter. A court in Riyadh had given the father five days to implement the verdict after his former wife lodged a complaint against him.

The judge ordered that the man should remain in jail until the verdict is implemented. He also banned the man from traveling abroad. In a related development, the general court in Riyadh asked the man to pay SR1,000 monthly to meet expenditures of his daughter. But the man refused to pay. The court then asked the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) to deduct the amount from the man’s account and deposit it in the account of his daughter five days before the end of every month. SAMA executed the order and the mother got the money just three days after the court order.

The court also intervened successfully to get a flat vacated when the occupant refused to pay the rent. The court asked the man to pay the rent within five days. When he disobeyed the court, he was denied access to electronic services and forcefully vacated from the house.

— By Dr. Mazen Abdul Razaq Balilah

Agriculture Ministry’s absence

Saudi Arabia has been hit by a number of viruses over the past years including Foot-and-Mouth, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, Rift Valley Fever and finally the Coronavirus. Every time the ministries of health, agriculture and social affairs have given different justifications for their failure to contain these deadly viruses.

The Health Ministry is responsible for the health of humans while the Agriculture Ministry is in charge of fighting epidemics. The Social Affairs Ministry is responsible for providing shelter and protecting poor families. But the three ministries were not held responsible when various viruses hit the Kingdom.

We cannot control such viruses just by giving vaccinations but it demands concerted efforts by the three ministries. The Ministry of Agriculture has a big role to play in fighting MERS. Combating viruses that spread epidemics is one of the ministry’s important duties. The ministry should keep a close watch on people rearing animals such as camels, cows and sheep and make sure they follow hygiene rules.

The Agriculture Ministry should work jointly with the Health Ministry to eradicate animal-borne viruses that have cost the Kingdom billions of riyals in the past.

— By Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Jarallah

Productivity of our youth

Youth are the pillar and future of any nation and their negligence will have a negative impact on its economy. A recent survey showed the decreasing productivity of young Saudi workers at companies, which prompted me to write this article.

We are not short of capable and hardworking youth. During a ceremony held by Earnest & Young recently we have seen several pioneering entrepreneurs. I wish every young man and woman in the country had attended that ceremony to get inspiration. It showed that our youth have immense capabilities but are not properly exploited.

I am sure that families can play a big role in motivating their children but most homes make children lazy. We have drivers, maids and even cooks to do everything for our children and family members. Our children even keep bottles on the table after drinking water or Pepsi waiting for the maid to throw them in the bin. Bringing expert teachers home and purchasing extracts of lessons are other methods we follow to make our children lazy. When we see any delay in the arrival of young Saudis from their workplaces we advise them to look for an easy job with better salary. Media is another important factor and our children spend hours before television and social media sites ignoring the bad media’s effect on our children.

The ministries of Economy and Planning, Labor, and Social Affairs, and Youth Welfare Presidency should work together to increase the productivity of our young men and women.

— By Ehab Hassan Aburakba

Economic challenges

We are facing a lot of economic challenges, which must be dealt with systematic plans. Identifying the problem and finding ideal solutions represent 50 percent of solution.

But public and private sectors face organizational as well as economic and social problems. If we fail to solve them in the beginning it would further complicate the situation. The real estate sector is a major example. We are facing a housing crisis as a result of various problems in the market. This has prevented Saudi families from realizing their dream of having own homes. The main problem is that some people have monopolized lands and housing units.

Job market situation is another big challenge. Thousands of our young men and women find it difficult to get suitable jobs after graduation. The Labor Ministry alone will not be able to address the problem. A number of ministries should work together to solve it.

— By Abdul Hameed Al-Amri