The Emergence of a New Phenomenon at the Jiddah Economic Forum
- Pipeline
- Saudi Arabia
Author: Nimah Ismail Nawwab
Released 2 February 2004
The Saudi economy, unemployment, gender issues, education system, infrastructure, population growth, diversifying sources of income and social and political reform were among the most salient issues discussed at the recent Jiddah Economic Forum.
The Saudi economy, unemployment, gender issues, education system, infrastructure, population growth, diversifying sources of income and social and political reform were among the most salient issues discussed at the recent Jiddah Economic Forum.
The speakers at the event, which addressed the overall theme of 'Achieving Accelerated Growth', included various Heads of State and dignitaries such as Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Queen Rania of Jordan, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al Hariri and WTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi.
The first speaker, prominent Saudi businesswoman Lubna Olayan, one of several female Saudi speakers, began with a very direct message that not only echoed within the minds and hearts of the Saudis present, but also set off the tone of the forum. She began with her vision of the country and then outlined a path and objectives that needed to be addressed.
"My vision is of a country with a prosperous and diversified economy in which any Saudi citizen, irrespective of gender who is serious about finding employment can find a job in the field for which he or she is best qualified, leading to a thriving middle class and in which all Saudi citizens, residents or visitors to the country feel safe and can live in an atmosphere where mutual respect and tolerance exist amongst all, regardless of their social class, religion or gender.”
She detailed recommendations about the role of the private sector and the government in effecting change, the need to create more jobs after finding out the required skills through a concentrated effort by both the private sector and government, accountability, the role of women in the work force, present regulations, the need to embrace change by stating: “if we in Saudi Arabia want to progress, we have no choice but to embrace change. Not wholesale change or change simply for the sake of it-that has little value. The real value is in the changes that will strengthen us and make us more competitive so that we can overcome the challenges that face us both here in the kingdom and throughout the Arab world. And those changes can be embraced in a way that preserves our core Islamic values and related traditions. But we need to come to grips with the underlying challenges and at the same time make maximum use of the advantages that we have.”
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad entered the forum to an enthusiastic audience which gave him a standing ovation even before he started and applauded his insights on several issues throughout his speech. His call for tolerance and women’s role received the most prolonged applause as the audience picked up on matters which made the headlines the next day. His speech included references to his own country’s success and lessons learned as well as the role of the private sector as an engine of growth when he commented “Business is not something that governments are good at…”. “When government takes over business, costs go up and productivity falls.” He discussed the importance of proactivity, the role of the English language in the present as a medium of conducting business and the Malaysian experience.
He then addressed an issue that had the entire hall erupt in applause: “Islam does not advocate force in the conversion of non-Muslims. We, therefore, have to accept non-Muslims in our midst. If this were not permissible, then Muslims could not travel anywhere except to countries that are 100 percent Muslim. It was a two-way process,” he said.
For the majority of the attendees, the most remembered speakers were Lubna Olayan, Mahathir Mohamad, Queen Rania of Jordan with her speech on the importance of persuading the public to buy into issues and Bill Clinton’s speech which included numerous references to Islam and what he termed his long friendship with Saudi Arabia, while calling for change.
One of the most interesting outcomes of the conference was the way it was reported in the press, with the media playing a big role in choosing to highlight certain issues such as women’s issues, tolerance, the need for reform, more private sector involvement, accountability and the creation of jobs.
A very interesting phenomenon emerged as well. The focus on women’s issues was brought up on a daily basis by the press to the extent that this led many who didn’t attend to feel that every speech included women’s issues. This in turn gave the economic issues which were the main thrust of the forum a place in the backstage in the perception of many.
Several American ladies present talked about the energy in the hall, especially in the women’s section, as they watched women engage speakers, participate heavily in numerous discussion panels and raise difficult issues. An American visiting author Carole Hyatt stated: “This is a special moment; I feel that history was being made here.”
Time will tell.