Middle East | New Era of Prosperity in Kingdom |
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| Sunday, 23 September 2007 | ||||||
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King Abdullah P.K. Abdul Ghafour, SAUDI ARABIA is on the threshold of a new era of social and economic progress under the wise leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan. During the past year, giant steps have been taken by the government to achieve greater progress and prosperity by introducing new political, economical and social reforms and launching several welfare projects across the country. King Abdullah’s accession to the throne on Aug. 1, 2005, following the death of King Fahd, brought about major changes in the administration, realizing the hopes and aspirations of both Saudis and expatriates. He was also successful in enhancing Saudi Arabia’s global reputation by establishing strong relations with influential countries and adopting balanced policies. Abdullah’s two years as king were marked by several achievements. He launched four mega economic cities in Rabigh, Hail, Madinah and Jizan, which are expected to draw SR300 billion in new investment projects and create more than a million new jobs. He increased salaries of government employees by 15 percent and cut fuel prices by 30 percent. He ordered the release of thousands of prisoners across the country, including many expatriate workers, who were arrested for petty crimes. The king visited different parts of the Kingdom to understand the condition of his people and their needs in development. These royal visits witnessed the launch of new educational, health and infrastructure projects including eight new universities in Madinah, Qassim, Jizan, Najran, Al-Jouf, Arar, Sakaka and Tabuk, thus implementing his ideal of balanced development for all of the Kingdom’s regions. During the past two years, Abdullah has also found time to visit many influential countries in the East and West including China, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Turkey, France, Spain and Poland. The visits have been carried out with an aim to boost economic, political, educational and security relations. His meeting with US President George W. Bush in April 2005 was instrumental in taking Saudi-American relations to new heights. As an ardent advocate of the Palestinian cause like his father King Abdul Aziz, Abdullah used his meetings with world leaders to mobilize their support for this legitimate cause. The Arab peace plan, which was originally proposed by Abdullah when he was crown prince, has won international acclaim. The plan, which was re-launched at the last Arab League summit in Riyadh, offers Israel full diplomatic relations if it withdraws from all Arab territories occupied in 1967 and allows the creation of a Palestinian state and the return of Palestinian refugees. In a recent interview, King Abdullah emphasized the need to find a quick solution to the protracted Arab-Israeli conflict. He cautioned the international community that the growing conflicts in the Middle East-including those in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon-could explode into a global one, engulfing not only the region but also the whole world. “My fears are similar to those of all sensible people that the continuation of all these conflicts will provoke an explosion that will not be restricted to the region, but will have global dimensions,” the king told Spain’s leading daily El Pais. Like his predecessors, King Abdullah has also shown special interest in the care and development of the two holy mosques. Recently, he allocated SR10 billion for the comprehensive development of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah. For the benefit of pilgrims and worshippers, he also ordered the air-conditioning of the entire Grand Mosque in Makkah. Plans have also been made to increase the mosque’s capacity by 35 percent to accommodate the growing numbers of pilgrims and worshippers, especially during the peak Haj and Umrah seasons. The new expansion project is likely to be completed by 2020. A new expansion project is being carried out at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah at a cost of SR4 billion. The project includes construction of sunshades around the mosque, expansion of the mosque’s eastern courtyard and establishment of a new transport station and parking areas. The project is aimed at creating additional prayer area for some 270,000 worshippers and improving facilities for the comfort of pilgrims and other visitors. During the last two years, the government passed several new rules and regulations to strengthen the Kingdom’s economic position and improve the living condition of its people. Abdullah introduced a new succession law to ensure smooth transfer of power. The law offers a new mechanism for declaring the reigning monarch or heir to the throne unfit to exercise powers, temporarily or permanently. Under the law, a committee of senior princes would be appointed to select future generations of kings and crown princes. Last February, the Council of Ministers approved a National Strategy to Protect Honesty and Combat Corruption. It also decided to facilitate administrative procedures and question dishonest officials, irrespective of their positions, as part of a major move to root out all forms of corruption from the Kingdom. A general authority for housing has been set up to devise the Kingdom’s future housing strategy and carry out low-cost housing projects for the poor. The government passed another law, allowing foreign businessmen to get multiple entry visas to visit the Kingdom frequently without the need to furnish invitation letters from a Saudi company or the chamber of commerce and industry. The move is likely to double foreign investment in the Kingdom and boost its trade, industry and exports. The Supreme Economic Council issued a landmark decision earlier this year allowing foreign investment in such vital sectors as insurance services, wholesale and retail trade, air and train transport, and communication services. Efforts for the empowerment of women received a shot in the arm during Abdullah’s rule. He established the Kingdom’s first university for women in Riyadh, expanded job opportunities for them and ordered all government departments to open women’s sections. Abdullah promoted a culture of dialogue in the country by setting up the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue, which held several meetings to discuss issues related to women, education, labor and reforms. King Abdullah is a man of mission and great ideals. He wants equality and justice to prevail in society. While opening the annual Shoura Council session this year, he said: “Our Islamic method makes it binding on us to spread justice among people without any distinction between the strong and the weak. All should be given their due rights. We will not keep back anyone’s rights and all people are equal. Nobody becomes great except by his actions and none becomes small but by his crime.” Soon after becoming king, Abdullah pardoned four Saudis and two Libyans suspected of attempting to assassinate him when he was crown prince. By making this exemplary and unique gesture, Abdullah sent a message to Arabs to put their past differences behind and face the future with greater unity and understanding. His message to Saudis was clear: “Let us engage in constructive and open dialogue to resolve our problems and to chart our country’s future.” During the past two years several development projects worth billions of riyals were launched in different parts of the Kingdom. In April this year, Abdullah dedicated a number of educational, health, economic, water, electricity, and housing and communication projects worth SR120 billion in Riyadh, including the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), the Women’s University and an information technology city. The 50-story Al-Rajhi Towers, located north of Riyadh, Binaa project with a capital investment of SR2 billion, Ras Al-Zour desal plant (which has a capacity to supply one million cubic meters of water and 1,000 megawatt daily) were other projects that have been undertaken. The government has given full support to the private sector to play a greater role in the development process. As a result, the private sector’s role in economic, industrial and infrastructure projects across the Kingdom is expanding year after year, lessening the burden on the government. According to a report issued by the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the sector’s investment in large-scale projects, including mega economic cities, has reached nearly 70 percent. The Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has announced plans to establish a SR50 billion real estate project in Jeddah. Covering an area of 5.3 million square meters in the city’s northern area on the Red Sea coastline, the project includes a colossal skyscraper with a surrounding area for other facilities (residential, commercial, a five-star hotel and offices). The residential area will be 1.5 million square meters, with the commercial area measuring 470,000 square meters, education vicinity having an area of 150,000 square meters and offices covering 800,000 square meters. Amr Al-Dabbagh, governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), said the new economic cities would contribute $150 billion to the gross domestic product (GDP) by the year 2020. They will also provide job opportunities to 1.3 million people, a living environment for 4.5 million people and increase per capita GDP from $13,000 to $33,500, he added. SAGIA licensed 1,389 joint and foreign projects in 2006 with a total value of SR253 billion, a growth of 25 percent compared to 2005. SAGIA plans to attract foreign and joint investment exceeding SR300 billion this year.
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