Prince Naif reveals plans for housing and jobs

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Establishment of clubs for the young proposed
JEDDAH - King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, received in his palace on Monday in Jeddah Prince Naif, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior and the 13 regional Emirs across the Kingdom following their 17th annual meeting which was held in Makkah on Sunday and chaired by Prince Naif.

The Emirs listened to the directives of the King who urged them to be God-fearing and work to guarantee a comfortable life for the citizens and residents of Saudi Arabia.

The King also urged the Emirs to look into the people's needs and satisfy them and boost the level of services in their regions and develop living conditions.

The King described the annual meeting of the regional Emirs with Prince Naif as a good chance to brainstorm for ideas that help the citizens and residents of the Kingdom.

Newly-appointed Emir of Baha Prince Mushari Bin Saud Bin Abdul Aziz took the oath of office before the King.

In a press statement after Sunday's meeting, Prince Naif said the government is taking a number of measures to create jobs, promote youth development, build houses and find ways to prevent future floods.

The meeting also dealt with the achievements of the provinces and the provision of services for citizens and residents.

In the press statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Prince Naif said the meeting discussed the role of provincial councils, housing for needy citizens, establishment of clubs for young people to spend their leisure time, and prevention of transgressions on private and state property.

Prince Naif said a report on the plans, including solutions, will be submitted to King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan, Deputy Premier.

With regard to Saudi youth, Prince Naif said parents should take care of their children because some of them are joining organizations opposed to Islam and their homeland. "Some are also behaving and dressing in a way that does not suit the conservative nature of Saudi society," he said.

"We have directed the governors to deal with such youths with guidance and advice and not with harshness," Prince Naif said.

"There should also be places for the youth to spend their leisure time, such as clubs with sports activities," Prince Naif said.

With regard to flood projects, Prince Naif said that every governorate is responsible for these developments. He said he currently chairs a ministerial committee which closely monitors and deals with all developments related to floods and other natural disasters.

Prince Naif rejected arguments that lack of jobs and access to university education was causing young people to turn extremism.

"Unemployment problem is not limited to our country; it is a worldwide phenomenon. It is also impossible to employ all the youth in the government or in the private sector." Prince Naif stressed the importance of drawing up strategies for the employment of Saudi youth, particularly by the private sector.

He said he has discussed the issue, especially the organization of foreign workers, with the chambers of commerce and industry.

The private sector prefers expat workers, Prince Naif said, because they accept work even for SR800, but a Saudi does not accept less than SR2,000. Added to this, the expatriate may be obedient to his employer and may work for more than the official working hours.

Prince Naif said the unemployment problem of the Saudi youth may be solved by increasing recruitment fees and with the establishment of recruitment companies to organize hiring of foreign workers.

"You will soon hear about the establishment of these companies, Allah willing," Prince Naif said.

He added that thousands of young people are graduating from local and foreign universities in various specializations. "The responsible government agencies and the Ministry of Civil Service should find jobs for them, in coordination with the Ministry of Higher Education."

Prince Naif said citizens are finding jobs. "We at the Ministry of Interior trained 8,000 security men this year including university and secondary school graduates. All of them got jobs." He said the Ministry of Defense and National Guard are also employing citizens.

Those who attended the meeting include Prince Ahmad Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Interior, and Prince Mohammed Bin Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs.

© The Saudi Gazette 2010