The return of the prodigal son

It was in 1996 when I left my hometown of Jeddah. I was a teenager at that time and my initial destination was an international boarding school abroad. Little did I know that my trip back home would require a whole 20 years, nor that it would take me through Amman, Beirut, London and Dubai.

Yet time flies and here I am back in Jeddah, my beloved city. It has grown and changed enormously to the extent that I barely recognize many parts of it. However, it is not only Jeddah that is undergoing a transformation but the entire Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Twenty years ago, the thought of the nation ridding itself of its addiction to oil was laughed at and the extensive talk about the need to diversify the economy was often brushed away as much ado about nothing. Women were extremely marginalized with very little prospects of finding jobs and talented, highly-educated males often preferred to seek opportunities abroad rather than staying and utilizing their experience and knowledge locally.

I visited the Kingdom several times this year before finally settling down to take on the new and exciting role of editing this prestigious 41-year-old newspaper, a task which officially began yesterday. I daresay from those visits and my short stay so far that even I — a Saudi journalist who is supposedly in tune with major developments — am shocked at the fast pace of change that the country is experiencing.

Thanks to Vision 2030, there is no more talk of reducing the dependency on oil, but rather of a roadmap- with a deadline - to do so. There are MoUs and deals being signed left, right and center with foreign entities who want to come and set up operations in the Kingdom without the previous condition of being obliged to have a local partner.

Many talented male and female Saudis are being carefully headhunted, properly motivated and encouraged to take part in the exciting transformation of their country. Just yesterday, I was assisted upon my arrival by a female Saudi receptionist at the Rosewood Jeddah hotel. While the thought of having a woman do such a job was unheard of 20 years ago, I must confess that I honestly have never dealt with a more professional, meticulous and “happy to serve” receptionist in my travels around the world.

Can more be done to empower and utilize such talented and eager-to-excel women in our economy? Absolutely! And I stand by Saudi scholar Najah Al-Osaimi who recently called — during an interview with Al Arabiya News Channel — for a Saudi Vision dedicated to empowering women.

Having had my first editorial meeting and full day at work with my new team here at Arab News, it is refreshing to see that there is indeed something that hasn’t changed in the 20 years that I was away: The passionate spirit inside the newsroom of this great newspaper.

I must admit, I am a bit overwhelmed, having not only changed jobs but also countries, within the past 48 hours. With the high spirits and thirst for quality journalism I was welcomed with on my first day at work, I must say I couldn’t have felt more at home.

There is not much I want to say here about what my team and I are planning to do at the paper as I believe editorial integrity can’t be promised — it must be proven. The one thing I can say, however, is that from today, you will notice that Arab News has reverted to its original position of being “the Middle East’s leading English news daily.” This motto will now be carried across our print and online editions as well as on our social media channels.

What this means is that you should expect a bigger dose of regional focus from us, one which makes Arab News an English language platform that encompasses all Arabs, and goes in line with the massive role the Kingdom is playing on the political, economical, humanitarian and religious levels.

— Faisal J. Abbas is the newly appointed editor in chief of Arab News. He can be reached on Twitter @FaisalJAbbas