13 January 2013
A day after Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah appointed 30 highly educated women to the Shoura Council, Saudis and expatriates from all walks of life welcomed the historic decision.
In coffee shops, five-star hotel lobbies, newsrooms, chatrooms, Internet groups and on Facebook and Twitter, the Saudi leadership received effusive praise.
"We love King Abdullah and we always knew that he would keep his promise and honor us by giving us a table at one of the top decision-making bodies," said Leila Al-Shamrani, a teacher at a secondary school in Al-Hasa.
Since becoming king, King Abdullah has gone about ushering in game-changing reforms in a methodical way.
"He realized very early on what needed to be done," said Sultan S. Al-Jebreen, a senior executive at a multinational group. "He started with the system of education, and soon we had universities, colleges of higher education and centers of excellence springing up across the Kingdom."
Lateef Abdul Rahman, a longtime Indian expatriate, said what specifically stood out about King Abdullah's style of governing was his tactful understating of the prevailing social reality.
"He and his advisers and his government ministers invested heavily in creating and forming a consensus on key issues. Different points of view were taken into consideration, there was a healthy debate among all segments of society, and so we heard in the media the pros and cons of all that was taking place in the Kingdom," he said.
Abdul Rahman said King Abdullah lived up to his reputation as a bold leader. "He made decisions that hold a lot of promise for generations to come: his interfaith initiative, his decision to allow women to participate in the upcoming municipal elections, his decision to focus on young Saudis, his decision to spend heavily on the education sector, his decision to institute hundreds and thousands of scholarships in some of the best institutions in the world all these decisions indicated his love for his country and his religion," he said.
Huda Al-Suleiman, an Eastern Province-based entrepreneur, said that two years ago, it appeared the reform process was faltering. "But that was largely an erroneous perception created by some men in the mainstream and social media," she said. "I don't blame them, because there were high expectations from our king and everyone was rather impatient to see bold decisions."
She said the king and Crown Prince Sultan inspire immense confidence. "Our Kingdom is a haven of peace and security. Please look at all that is going on around us. Our leadership is fully alive to our issues and is making all the right decisions. May Allah bless them with all His bounties. Our love for our king knows no bounds," said Al-Suleiman.
For Sudanese expatriate Abdul Aziz Al-Haj, Friday was a historic day. "On Saturday, I bought copies of almost all the Arabic newspapers. I wanted to read all they have written, but most importantly, I wanted to have them as a souvenir. Twenty years from now, when future generations look back, this day will be remembered as an important milestone in the onward journey of Saudi Arabia," he said. "We wish them well."
Sultana Al-Ahmed, a receptionist at a top hospital in Alkhobar, said the king has kept his word. "He has honored us, but now is the time for women to contribute positively to the decision-making process.
All of the women who have been brought on board are talented and qualified. Now they need to apply themselves for the good of our Kingdom," she told Arab News.
A day after Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah appointed 30 highly educated women to the Shoura Council, Saudis and expatriates from all walks of life welcomed the historic decision.
In coffee shops, five-star hotel lobbies, newsrooms, chatrooms, Internet groups and on Facebook and Twitter, the Saudi leadership received effusive praise.
"We love King Abdullah and we always knew that he would keep his promise and honor us by giving us a table at one of the top decision-making bodies," said Leila Al-Shamrani, a teacher at a secondary school in Al-Hasa.
Since becoming king, King Abdullah has gone about ushering in game-changing reforms in a methodical way.
"He realized very early on what needed to be done," said Sultan S. Al-Jebreen, a senior executive at a multinational group. "He started with the system of education, and soon we had universities, colleges of higher education and centers of excellence springing up across the Kingdom."
Lateef Abdul Rahman, a longtime Indian expatriate, said what specifically stood out about King Abdullah's style of governing was his tactful understating of the prevailing social reality.
"He and his advisers and his government ministers invested heavily in creating and forming a consensus on key issues. Different points of view were taken into consideration, there was a healthy debate among all segments of society, and so we heard in the media the pros and cons of all that was taking place in the Kingdom," he said.
Abdul Rahman said King Abdullah lived up to his reputation as a bold leader. "He made decisions that hold a lot of promise for generations to come: his interfaith initiative, his decision to allow women to participate in the upcoming municipal elections, his decision to focus on young Saudis, his decision to spend heavily on the education sector, his decision to institute hundreds and thousands of scholarships in some of the best institutions in the world all these decisions indicated his love for his country and his religion," he said.
Huda Al-Suleiman, an Eastern Province-based entrepreneur, said that two years ago, it appeared the reform process was faltering. "But that was largely an erroneous perception created by some men in the mainstream and social media," she said. "I don't blame them, because there were high expectations from our king and everyone was rather impatient to see bold decisions."
She said the king and Crown Prince Sultan inspire immense confidence. "Our Kingdom is a haven of peace and security. Please look at all that is going on around us. Our leadership is fully alive to our issues and is making all the right decisions. May Allah bless them with all His bounties. Our love for our king knows no bounds," said Al-Suleiman.
For Sudanese expatriate Abdul Aziz Al-Haj, Friday was a historic day. "On Saturday, I bought copies of almost all the Arabic newspapers. I wanted to read all they have written, but most importantly, I wanted to have them as a souvenir. Twenty years from now, when future generations look back, this day will be remembered as an important milestone in the onward journey of Saudi Arabia," he said. "We wish them well."
Sultana Al-Ahmed, a receptionist at a top hospital in Alkhobar, said the king has kept his word. "He has honored us, but now is the time for women to contribute positively to the decision-making process.
All of the women who have been brought on board are talented and qualified. Now they need to apply themselves for the good of our Kingdom," she told Arab News.
© Arab News 2013
