Saudi Arabia harnesses the energy of youth
AS Mohammed bin Salman embarks on his first foreign visit as Crown Prince, it is important to understand the dramatic changes announced last Monday. They were meant to complement earlier reforms to the way Saudi Arabia is run that have been introduced since King Salman ascended to the throne in January 2015.
The Crown Prince has likened Saudi Arabia’s anticorruption campaign since November 2017 to shock therapy, which was needed to weed out corruption in high places. He told the Washington Post recently: “You have a body that has cancer everywhere, the cancer of corruption. You need to have chemo, the shock of chemo, or the cancer will eat the body.”
That campaign has targeted hundreds of highranking officials in civilian and security agencies. Four months on, most have been released after making settlements totalling over $100 billion. However, the value of those measures cannot be judged in monetary terms only, but also in light of the new standards for doing business in Saudi Arabia.
The shake-up was also necessary for other reasons: The Kingdom might not be able to meet its Vision 2030 targets and those of its National Transformation Program 2020 without stopping corruption, mismanagement and misplaced priorities. While the dramatic anti-corruption campaign garnered the most attention, the government has also embarked on a parallel campaign against mismanagement, inertia and lethargy.
Some of the targeted agencies operated in near complete autonomy, not subject to the usual checks and balances that kept other government departments in line. By targeting high-level officials in those semiautonomous agencies, the government was ending their culture of impunity, which for decades enabled financial wrongdoing and mismanagement. Lowerlevel officials took notice: If the top managers are removed from their posts or detained, lesser executives should not feel immune from a similar fate.
Last week’s changes and new appointments in the defense and security agencies brought more accountability to those previously shielded sectors. The Crown Prince has been closely associated with the Ministry of Defense for a long time, and the new efforts to improve the efficiency of military spending had clearly been planned for several years. He recently pointed out that, despite the Kingdom having the world’s fourth-largest defense budget, it has only the 20th or 30th best army.
As part of the reshuffle, the chief of staff of the armed forces was replaced by his deputy and several other significant changes were made in the leadership of land and air forces.
As expected, in the internal security establishment, many long-serving officials were removed to complete the process of changeover that began months ago. Young professionals replaced the old guard to allow for a more agile government and to bring those agencies into the mainstream. Deputy minister-level appointments for the Ministry of Interior and state security agency were the chief changes in this sector.
The Ministry of Economy and Planning is the key coordinator for Vision 2030 and NTP 2020, and the success of those plans depends on the right leadership. The former minister was replaced last November, and last week new deputy ministers were appointed.
The Ministry of Labor is also crucial for the success of those plans, which emphasize the increasing participation of women and the young in the labor market; a challenge that has frustrated several ministers in the past. The new changes replaced the deputy minister of labor and included the appointment of a woman as new deputy minister for social development.
In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the energetic chief diplomat of Saudi Arabia is now being supported by new like-minded assistants, while the ancient guard is gradually being replaced.
One of the major features of last week’s restructuring was the changes in local government. First, many young princes were appointed either as governors or deputy governors in several provinces. In a country of continental proportions, provincial governments play key roles in regional economic development, local security and the provision of government services. With decentralization comes tough responsibility for provincial governments to deliver. The record for some is mixed, so the recent changes will try to address their shortcomings.
To bring about more even development between the provinces, a high-level urban development advisor to the king has been tasked with sitting on all key regional development agencies to ensure streamlined governance and consistency.
Also in last week’s changes, the Center for National Dialogue, which was established in 2003 to foster a culture of dialogue, tolerance and mutual understanding, had its leadership re-energized with the appointments of well-known male and female figures, who represent diverse regional and political orientations.
It is clear from the fundamental changes of last week that the government wants to boost its ranks by grooming high-energy “believers” to achieve its transformational targets.
Young Saudis in particular appear delighted about this shake-up: Saudi Arabia is giving the young an important role in leading the national transformation. This change was made clear with the new appointments. Several millennials were installed in key positions as deputy governors and deputy ministers.
Another group that should also be buoyed by these changes is the business community. The new way of doing business in Saudi Arabia — transparent, accountable and consistent — should be welcomed by all serious investors, local and foreign.
Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is a columnist for Arab News. His email: aluwaisheg@gmail.com Twitter: @abuhamad1