The ruling House of Saud
Currently we see Saudi Arabia, the state and its people, overcoming a difficult test with wisdom and confidence. This reflects the stability of the ruling House of Saud, and its ability to deal with all fates and difficult situations, with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz’s announcement that Prince Salman has been appointed as the new Crown Prince, and Prince Ahmed as the new Minister of Interior. As a result, Saudi Arabia has reinforced its stability and proven that it is capable of dealing with difficult events in a calm manner.
With the death of Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz, God rest his soul, the positions of Crown Prince and Minister of Interior were vacant. With King Abdullah’s customary wisdom, and with the entrenched approach to governance, its customs and traditions that characterize the Saudi ruling family, immediate decisions were made with the Saudi King’s appointment of a new Crown Prince and Minister of Interior. These decisions bear testament to the stability and durability of the ruling house, and its recognition of the circumstances surrounding it.
Saudi Arabia’s destiny is to emerge from one challenge to another, but it is stable, it has traditions, customs and regulations, and with such it ensures stability and continuity. Here we should recall what Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz said at a ceremony held by the people of Riyadh, on the day King Abdullah came to power in Saudi Arabia, whereby Prince Salman addressed the new King saying: “History has shown that this family is full of unity, cooperation and love. At the end of the reign of King Ibn Saud, there were those who said what will happen to this country and this family? They said the same after King Saud, after King Faisal, after King Khaled and then after King Fahd. Praise be to God that anyone who monitors our situation and knows it well will find that your brothers will always rally round you, along with all your family and your people, praise be to God.”
This display of unity manifested again in Saudi Arabia after the death of Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, may God have mercy on him, and it is happening today after the passing of Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz. With all the stability and cohesion of the ruling house, the Saudi people are once again rallying around the Kingdom’s leaders, and this is a magnificent feature of the Saudi state.
King Abdullah’s selection of Prince Salman as Crown Prince, and Prince Ahmed as Minister of Interior, are choices that promote stability, and build upon what came before. Prince Salman is a statesman in the very sense of the word; he has served his country for many decades and served its former kings, and here he is serving his king once more today. Likewise, the nomination of Prince Ahmed comes in accordance with the distinguished approach of the Ministry of Interior, which undertakes important issues as necessitated by Saudi Arabia’s circumstances. Prince Ahmed is a man who worked closely with the late Prince Naif, and this can only strengthen the work of this important and vital ministry, and ensure the stability of Saudi Arabia. The King’s nominations have left no room for surprise, time-wasting, or anything else that could be detrimental to the Kingdom.
All this, as noted above, demonstrates the stability of the Saudi ruling house, its wisdom and statesmanship. King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, with the grace of God, is quietly and securely guiding the country through very difficult conditions.
n The author is editor in chief of Asharq Al-Awsat.
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