Govt Staff to Get 15% Pay Raise
Maha Akeel & P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab NewsJEDDAH, 23 August 2005 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday ordered a 15 percent salary increase for all Saudi government employees. In addition, more than SR80 billion from this year’s budget was allocated for educational, health, housing and other welfare and service projects.
For the first time in the past 20 years, Saudi government employees will get a pay raise. It doesn’t take an economist to realize that a static salary over a 20-year period has actually be an annual pay cut. And it doesn’t take a PhD in Management to guess that diminishing salaries are not going to prove attractive to the “brightest and the best.” Government bureaucracy suffered enormous damage as a result. Individual employees, if they didn’t simply walk out the door, were forced to take second jobs. The more unethical also took bribes. Some, however, particularly in education, stayed with the job because they believed in it. Dropping salaries were also a great motivator in getting women into the workplace.
In the early 1980s, Saudi per capita income was essentially equivalent to American per capita income. By 2002, however, Saudi per capita income was essentially equivalent to that of Mexico. Part of the reason was that oil prices, for the 20 years starting in the 1980s, were essentially flat. The other is that during this period Saudi population exploded to the point where 60% of all Saudis are now under 25 years of age.
A 15% pay raise is not to be sneezed at. But in the Saudi context, it’s only a good start. Similar rates of pay increase are going to be needed over several years of these salaries are going to become competitive with private sector jobs. Then we might see a better quality of bureaucrat.
In three week’s time, the UN will host the biggest gathering ever of world leaders ever. More than 170 will be in New York to celebrate the body’s 60 years of existence but also to vote on reforms designed to bring it into the 21st century. So far most attention has focused on reform of the Security Council: Will it be expanded? Should India, Japan, Brazil and Germany be made permanent members as they demand? Will that include the right to a veto? Will an African state (possibly Egypt, Nigeria or South Africa) be allowed to join the council as the African Union demands? This debate alone promises to be a bruising one.
But there is far more to UN reform than who gets a permanent seat and a veto. Another issue also to be discussed and voted on is that of genocide. The UN and international agencies believe that the existing convention on genocide, adopted in 1948, is inadequate; it may be good at defining it and making it an international crime, but it is no good at preventing it. Who can disagree? Rwanda, Sarajevo, Cambodia, Kosovo, Sierra Leone — to mention just some of the most recent horrors — are testimony to that inadequacy.
This is a pretty good editorial from the Arab News. Its focus is on genocide and the UN’s inability to come to terms with it. The piece notes that some countries fear reform because it could possibly be used against them in the future. Others, like the US, fear it because it could mean that they get sucked into peacekeeping roles they do not desire. Worth reading.
Worth noticing is what’s between the lines: Sudan and the Darfur crisis. The Arab News has been consistent in its criticism of what’s going on there. The paper believes that the Sudanese government has frittered away whatever legitimate defense it may have had and is now simply not accepting its moral responsibilities.
[UPDATE 08/20/05: Asharq Alawsat provides more information about the killing of Al-Hasry/Haseri in Riyadh, as well as others. It also gives his role in the Saudi Al-Qaeda operations. Read it here.]
Wanted Terrorist Among the Riyadh Dead
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab NewsJEDDAH, 20 August 2005 — The killing of Saleh Al-Oufi, 39, leader of Al-Qaeda cell in Saudi Arabia, with three other terrorists including Majed ibn Hamid Al-Hasry in gunbattles with Saudi security forces, has dealt a heavy blow to the militant network in the Kingdom.
Al-Oufi, who was on a list of most wanted 26 terrorists published by the Interior Ministry last December, was shot dead by security forces in Madinah on Thursday in the largest such operation after the three-day Al-Rass shootout, which saw the killing of 15 terrorists.
Today’s Arab News has further details on both the shootout in Madina that killed one of the most-wanted terrorists in the country, but also events in Riyadh, that led to the death of another, known as “Hasry.” It gives a brief rundown on efforts to whittle down the newest most-wanted list and notes that only two from the December 2003 list remain at large.
[UPDATE: The Arab News runs a detailed story about the killing of one of their most-wanted terrorists, and others, in a day of major anti-terror successes. Among the most interesting details is this:
According to an analyst on Al-Arabiya TV, they were traced from calls on their mobile phones. It later transpired that the mobile calls between the terrorists had also been intercepted by the US Embassy, the analyst said.
The operations followed warnings by the diplomatic missions of Australia, Britain and the United States 10 days earlier that militant attacks were imminent against their properties and nationals in the Kingdom. The US Embassy in Riyadh and its consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran were closed on Aug. 8 and 9, following “credible information†about possible strikes.>]
Saudi forces kill Qaeda leader in Medina clash
RIYADH, Aug 18 (Reuters) – Saudi security forces killed the leader of the kingdom’s al Qaeda group in a clash in the holy city of Medina on Thursday, a security source said.
He said security forces had killed Saleh al-Awfi, who was believed to have taken over leadership of al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia last year. Awfi was one of the remaining fugitives on a list of most wanted militants waging a campaign of violence in the world’s top oil exporter.
Reuters is breaking a story that Saudi security forces have killed Saleh Al-Awfi (also transliterated as “Al-Aufi” and “Al-Aoofi”) today in a shootout in Medina. More details as they become available…
[UPDATE: The Associated Press does have more details:
Al-Aoofi was considered the top leader of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden's network in this conservative Gulf country, which has been rocked by multiple terror attacks since 2003.He was among two of the kingdom's 26 most-wanted militants still at large. The other 24 on the list issued in December 2003 either have been captured or killed.
It was not immediately clear whether the other militants killed Thursday were on a separate list of 36 suspects issued recently.
Interior Ministry officials also said at least one militant was arrested in Riyadh and 10 were detained in Medina, 450 miles to the west, where the country's new monarch, King Abdullah, was meeting Islamic clerics and tribal leaders.
Heavily armed police raided six al-Qaida hideouts in Medina near the mosque where Islam's Prophet Muhammad was buried before coming across a seventh, where al-Aoofi and two others were holed up, the Interior Ministry said.
"They (the militants) opened fire heavily on the security forces and the pedestrians" before police returned fire, a ministry statement said. "Investigators were able to prove through verification procedures that one of the two killed is the wanted Saleh al-Aoofi."
The identity of the other slain militant was not released, while the third was wounded and arrested.
Al-Aoofi, a former prison guard, reportedly fought in Chechnya and traveled to Afghanistan to join al-Qaida shortly before the Sept. 11 attacks.
There he met men who would later become his comrades in the Saudi terror network, according to Saudi newspaper reports. One was among the nine suicide attackers involved the May 12, 2003, car bombing of foreigners' housing compounds in Riyadh that killed 35 people.
In Riyadh, police also raided an apartment in the northern al-Massef neighborhood at about 6 a.m. Thursday, sparking a shootout with militants holed up inside.
"Security forces during the early morning stormed a number of places in Riyadh and Medina, where it is suspected some of those affiliated to the deviant group were hiding," ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.
Authorities here regularly refer to militants belonging to the Saudi branch of al-Qaida as the "deviant group."
Another security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said four militants were killed in the Riyadh shootout, during which a hand grenade was thrown at the police but did not explode.
The Interior Ministry statement said human remains found at the Riyadh site indicated that at least one suspect was blown apart in an explosion, the nature of which was not immediately clear.
The nationalities of the militants killed in Riyadh and the third arrested here were not immediately clear.
Police helicopters hovered over the Riyadh apartment as security forces sealed off the area, preventing pedestrians or vehicles from entering or leaving the scene.
After the clashes ended, police entered the apartment and found weapons, explosives and various documents inside, the Interior Ministry said.
Since May 2003, Islamic militants have carried out numerous suicide bombings and kidnappings and regularly battled security forces. The attacks, which have tended to target Westerners and housing complexes were Westerners live, have been blamed on al-Qaida and its allies. ]
Calls to close ‘dissident’ radio
The Government is facing demands to close down a London-based radio station broadcasting calls for attacks on British troops in Iraq.
Al-Tajdeed Radio, which is run by a prominent Saudi dissident, has close links with a website carrying films of terrorist bombings and beheadings. It also carries songs calling on Muslims to join the holy war against coalition forces.
The radio broadcasts in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The man behind the station is Dr Muhammad al-Massari. [Also transliterated Al-Masa'ari]
He has lived in London since first seeking asylum there in 1994. He has frequently declared that British troops in Iraq are legitimate targets.
This article, from the on-line subsidiary of London’s Evening Standard newspaper points out a curious fact: not all dissidents should be applauded. Al-Masa’ari left Saudi Arabia for the UK in 1994. The Saudi government has been asking the British to not welcome him with open arms ever since. [See Arab News articles here and here.]
But many in the West saw him as one of the “freedom fighters” for reform in Saudi Arabia. Well, he has certainly been for reform, but not in the direction most Westerners would applaud. Saad Al-Faqih joined Al-Masa’ari in the 1990s, but then split with him because of doctrinal differences. Al-Faqih went on a more radical route which ended up with his being named a “supporter of terror” by the US government and his organization, MIRA (Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia) being declared a terrorist organization earlier this year. Now things seem to be catching up with Masa’ari.
Before jumping on any “reformist” bandwagon in the Middle East–or elsewhere, for that matter–it helps to see just what the full agenda is. Masa’ari gained publicity and support for calling for the ousting of the Al-Saud. He named his organization “Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights in Saudi Arabia.” What could be wrong with that? On its face, it sounded appealing to many. Unfortunately, those “many” didn’t bother to look at what else he was calling for.
[UPDATE 08/20/05: According to this The Times of London online article, Members of Parliament are calling for Al-Masa'ari to be deported. The MPs cite the presence of jihadist materials on Al-Masa'ari's website, including videos of the bombing deaths of British soldiers in Iraq. The article notes that deportation back to Saudi Arabia is problematic at this time because the British and Saudi governments have not reached an agreement on the deportation of extremists. (The article doesn't say whether discussions on such an agreement are in progress.) Note that this article will disappear behind the newspaper's firewall within a few days.]
At a Crossroads, Saudi King Tests the Winds of Reform
By Anthony Shadid and Steve Coll — Washington PostRIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Ibrahim bin Abdullah Mubarak is a gruff man. On the phone, the lawyer forgoes florid Arabic salutations for a curt “thank you,” then abruptly hangs up. At 61, he holds papers close to his eyes, his hand trembling. Defending cases in an often arbitrary system of justice has left him weary. But in the ascent of King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia’s sixth monarch, he sees change — vague, perhaps gradual, but nevertheless hopeful.
“Anyone who assumes the throne wants to distinguish his rule,” Mubarak said in a sparse office in downtown Riyadh, with tomes on Islamic jurisprudence, embossed in gold, behind his desk. “The king wants to make his mark.”
On Aug. 8, Abdullah freed three clients Mubarak helped defend — prominent political dissidents jailed last year for signing a petition and holding meetings advocating a constitution for the kingdom. In his office, Mubarak had just listened to Abdullah’s first speech to the nation, a short declaration in which he welcomed advice and promised to “dedicate my time to enhancing the pillars of justice.”
Mubarak narrowed his eyes and nodded his head. “His words tell us what he is planning for his rule,” the lawyer said.
Today’s The Washington Post front-pages a very good article on King Abdullah and his role–and limitations–in producing reforms in Saudi Arabia. The piece explains who Abdullah is; the tensions within the Al-Saud (though I think the writers are still stuck with a Sudairi-clan-holds-the-power meme); and even more importantly, the tensions within Saudi society itself. By focusing on Saudi optimists, the article ends up being optimistic, though not hysterically so. There are many indicators of the direction that Abdullah wants to follow toward reform, but the proof will be in what comes next.
The writers offer a good analysis of what the position of “Second Deputy Prime Minister” means, including what it means to leave the position vacant, as is the case to date. They also provide a good overview of the way tribal affiliation continues to play an important role across the country.
Do read the whole thing, even if it usurps part of the name of this blog!
THE 300 bombs that went off all over Bangladesh yesterday may have been crude and technically unimpressive devices but the level of organization that went into their being placed in 50 different towns and cities is worthy of note. If leaflets left at some of the scenes are to be believed, the attacks that have slain two and injured dozens are the work of the outlawed group Jamatul Mujahedeen who, with another fundamentalist outfit, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh, was banned earlier this year. Both have been linked to attacks on local aid agencies. They are also prime suspects in the multiple bombing of a Muslim shrine in the east of the country five days ago and in a similar attack in May 2004 with grenades at another shrine at Sylhet.
This Arab News editorial is interesting. It posits that the rash of explosions across Bangladesh was not Al-Qaeda sponsored, but instead a plea by indigenous Islamic extremists for Al-Qaeda assistance in the future. By raising their profile, the piece suggests, the Bangladeshi extremists are showing that they’re ready for the big leagues… all they need is resources.
Promoting Saudi Dates
Riyad Al-Khamis, Al-RiyadhAlthough Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s major date producers, the Kingdom’s share in the world market remains very limited.
The Kingdom accounts for 19 percent of worldwide production, yet our dates find their way to very few world markets and to those only in limited quantities. Traditionally, dates have played a significant role in Saudi life; they serve as the population’s basic nourishment for a long time. Dates contain large amounts of sugar, mineral salts and a number of rare elements which the human body needs.
The Saudi economy needs to diversify away from its one “crop,” oil. And Saudi Arabia certainly does have high quality dates. But as this article, translated from the Arabic daily Al-Riyadh notes, date production and marketing are woefully underappreciated. Date farming, is still a small scale agricultural program, much unchanged from where it was 2,000 years ago. Mechanical irrigation and picking seem to be about the only technologies used.
Dates do make it to local markets. In fact, there are now several chains offering a wide variety of dates and date products scattered among the major cities. And dates make up a significant part of Saudi foreign food assistance–hundreds of tons are donated annually. But unlike their North African cousins, the Saudis have not really established international marketing schemes. Saudi dates are quite different than those from North Africa, but Americans are most familiar with the latter as the dates grown in California originated there.
New US Consul General Arrives
Roger Harrison, Arab NewsJEDDAH, 18 August 2005 — Tatiana C. Gfoeller has been appointed as the new US Consul General in Jeddah and has arrived to take up her duties. Her second tour of duty in Saudi Arabia, Gfoeller was stationed in Riyadh as political officer at the US Embassy in 1987 and 1988, only four years after she joined the Department of State in 1984.
Before she arrived in Jeddah, Gfoeller was deputy principal officer/acting consul general in Russia and the deputy chief of mission/charge d’affaires in Turkmenistan.
I worked with Tatiana and her husband Michael in Manama, in 1989-90, where she was in the Political section. I’m sure she’ll enjoy herself in Jeddah and do an able job representing US interests. Having her husband in another city, though, isn’t the best hand of cards ever dealt.
Random Fatwas Confounding Markets, Slowing Economy
RIYADH, 17 August 2005 — As Saudis seek Shariah-compliant investment opportunities, the issuance of religious rulings, or fatwas, from various levels is creating confusion in financial markets and may actually be harming the Kingdom’s efforts to modernize its economy into one that is competitive in the global marketplace. Because most business dealings in banks are using systems that do not comply with Islamic law, many people are searching for fatwas from sheikhs or at least get their opinions before investing money in stocks or banks, according to Al-Riyadh newspaper.
It’s not only on matters of jihad, human rights, or terrorism that fatwas have an effect. This article from the Arab News, translating from the Arabic daily Al-Riyadh points to how fatwas are interfering with basic economic functions. Largely due to the economic ignorance of those issuing fatwas, many would-be investors are staying their hand in making investment decisions. One cleric may condemn a practice or a company while another will approve of it. And investors are caught in between. As one investor puts it, investing in Saudi Arabia is now a matter of supply, demand, and fatwas.
This is a good article exploring a little-known aspect of trying to make Shari’a law fit the modern world. Read the whole thing.
[UPDATE: Abeer Mishkhas, writing in the Arab News, has a similar article, calling on articles also appearing in Al-Watan Arabic daily. She gives a view from a more personal level. Unfortunately, her column ends with a bizzare little piece taken at face value from the German Press Agency. The story is strange; that she would credit it is even stranger.]
The Arab News has been off-line for most of the day. I think it likely they’re suffering from the same computer worm that has rattled CNN, ABC, The New York Times, as well as other major business sites.
When they get their problem cleared up, I’ll post what we might have missed.
Why I remain pessimistic about democracy in the Arab world
Mamoun Fandy, Ph.D.Two weeks ago, I took the first steps in admitting my lack of hope in a democratic future for the Arab world. Instead, what our region should aspire to is the model of the tolerant elderly tribal leader or what I refer to as the kind elderly sheikh because Arab society, above all, is based on kinship and blood relations. Even if one analyses the revolutionary and intellectual movements in the region, one finds that blood relation, and not ideology, constitute the main bond that ties these movements together.
None of what I am saying is new; some time ago, I wrote an article, published in the Middle East Policy, in 1992, arguing that the history of the Arab world is full of examples demonstrating that, in any confrontation between ideology and tribal or blood affiliation, the latter will always triumph.
Mamound Fandy, currently of the Baker Institute and author of Saudi Arabia and the Politics of Dissent (highly recommending, but a bit dated) offers an interesting, albeit pessimistic, look at the future of political reform in the Arab world in today’s Asharq Alawsat. Blood, he says, is much thicker than ideology. He offers examples from Arab history, starting with the Omayyads’ wrestling rule from Mecca to the familial relationships of some of today’s terrorists. Definitely a piece worth reading in its entirety.
My take is that he has a point, but misses the major one. Even in Western history, family relationships played an important role–and sometimes continue to do so. The word “Nepotism” does not have Arabic roots. Blood relationships were what caused Charlemagne’s empire to be divided among his sons. Governorships of various Roman provinces were dealt out in a process nearly identical to how the leadership of Saudi provinces is awarded today. The Medicis and Borgias are talked about as families as much as individuals. JFK’s naming his brother as Attorney General was seen to be nepotistic at the time, and continues to be so seen.
The point Fandy misses is that history does not need to be repeated endlessly. As rational actors, humans can close the pages of the history book and say, “Let’s move on.” What’s going on in the contemporary Middle East seems to be an effort to do just that. Blood ties still have importance, but they need not have paramount importance.