21 February 2006
Riyadh: Some members of the Shura Council criticised the statement of the Shura President Shaikh Saleh Bin Humeid, in which he stated that the council did not have the authority to address the issue.
This has triggered a new debate over women drivers in Saudi Arabia.
"The Shura has been given enough powers by the kingdom's political leadership to discuss and take a decision in this regard," the members observed while renewing their call to take the initiative to get the ban on women drivers lifted.
The Shura rejected last week a proposal presented by one of its members, Mohammad Al Zulfa, to lift the ban. The new traffic law, which was approved by the Shura, did not address the women's driving provision.
Addressing the Shura Council meeting yesterday, Dr Khaleel Bin Abdullah Al Khaleel, a member of the Shura, said that skipping of an issue like women's driving on the pretext of leaving some matters to the government, will reduce the powers of the Shura and dampen hopes of its ability to fulfill the development needs of the country and aspirations of the people.
Supported by several members of the council, Dr Al Khaleel made a strong plea for looking into the matter again and taking a decision on the ban.
"There is no justification for skipping a debate on the issue as the Shura is the legitimate body to tackle such an issue on which there were serious divisions in Saudi society. There is a difference between making decisions and taking decisions. As a consultative body, the Shura should initiate deliberations on the issue and take appropriate decisions," he said while referring to Shaikh Saleh's remarks that the council has no authority to discuss the issue because of a fatwa issued by the Senior Scholars' Commission, which is the kingdom's highest legal authority to take a decision on the matter.
Al Zulfa introduced his proposal to lift the ban last year as part of a wider traffic law that was approved by the Shura on February 12 but failed to address the issue of women's driving. The Shura rejected the proposal, saying that women's driving was skipped over among other reasons because of a religious edict issued by the Senior Scholars' Commission on the matter. "The Shura has no powers to review the matter unless a decision to look into it was taken by the kingdom's top leadership," Shaikh Saleh said in his statement.
The issue sparked a heated debate in the local media with the remarks of Culture and Information Minister Eyad Madani at the recently concluded Jeddah Economic Forum.
He said that there was "nothing in the Saudi legislation that forbids Saudi women to apply for a driving licence. If the traffic director turns down your request, approach him and try to sort out your problem," he said.
By Mariam Al Hakeem
Gulf News 2006. All rights reserved.
