Saudi Arabia has no room for complacency

Mohammad Bin Salman is determined to bring the country on par with the developed world

Saudi Arabia is being steered by a very energetic figure. With age on his side and his father’s support, the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, has already carved out a considerable stature for himself on the world stage. In his short tenure so far, he has proven that he is determined to bring the kingdom up on par with the rest of the developed world.

He has wrested control from those who wanted the country to remain several centuries back through their objections of anything deemed modern or progressive. His direct actions for domestic reforms have won him wide praise from a largely young population that had become weary of the excesses of a conservative socio-political order.

Undoubtedly, he has challenges ahead. The country had been comatose for so long that it would take all the crown prince has and more to move it towards the specific goals that he has laid out in his Vision 2030. His biggest challenge will be to erase the mindset of entrenched bureaucrats who find every reason to not get the job done.

I have long complained that the most abused four-letter word used by Saudi public service officials is the word “soon” — it just gives all of us this false hope that something positive will finally happen. But for those who have followed the news down the years, “soon” has come to convey anything but prompt action.

For example, in the early 1990s, it was announced that the national airline, Saudia, would “soon” be privatised and services would improve. “Soon” in this case has translated into a more than 25-year wait! During the 1990s, there had also been countless promises of “soon”. Jeddah Airport, a blot on the landscape for travellers in and out of the city for its dilapidated and outdated facilities, would on many occasions draw the word “soon” from the authorities concerned. Perhaps the Singaporean operators of the new airport will restore our faith in the word “soon”.

Back in the 1990s, an announcement was made by the Ministry of Social Services that all public buildings would have facilities for disabled people. Ramps for wheelchairs, handrails and special toilets would “soon” be introduced, we were told. There would be special parking areas reserved for the disabled, with special parking stickers for their vehicles. So many buildings and public structures have come up since. I wonder how many have actually put such ‘visionary’ statements into practice?

In the early part of this century, the Ministry of Transport had announced plans that would “soon” ease traffic congestion in major cities such as Jeddah and Riyadh. Through the use of effective flyovers and a public transport and shuttle bus system, jams would “soon” be a thing of the past, we were promised. Many flyovers have come up in Jeddah since then. But have they solved the traffic problems? All I have to do is drive on Madinah Road to realise how elusive the word “soon” remains!

Following the tragic Makkah school fire back in 2002, in which 15 schoolgirls lost their lives, there were assurances from various civil departments that all schools would “soon” undergo a vigorous fire safety inspection and offending institutions would be shut down. It is 2018 now and we still hear of schools being shut down today for such offences. Does it take 16 years to get something as vital as this off the ground?

In the early 1990s, it was announced that the national airline, Saudia, would ‘soon’ be privatised and services would improve. ‘Soon’ in this case has translated into a more than 28-year wait!

Dug up, over and over again

Multiple promises have been made by Saudi Municipal officials over the past 40 years or so, regarding the implementation of sewage and drain water systems in the cities. Since the 1980s, many a mayor or municipal official, has promised to “soon” have a network of waste water systems to ease our troubles. Streets were dug up, drainage pipes were laid and yet the same streets kept getting dug up over and over again, and the pipes removed and replaced!

In recent times, taxes were supposed to be imposed on ‘white’ land — large tracts that just lie undeveloped and unoccupied in the midst of the cities. Has that happened, or will it be anytime soon?

Granted, as more and more people get fed up with bureaucratic inefficiency, the grumbles grow louder and ministers get fired. Perhaps this will help the word ‘soon’ regain its original meaning. The recent arrests of princes, businessmen and top civil servants should provide an impetus to substituting the word ‘soon’ with reasonable targets and specifics, one hopes.