During foreign and internal meetings and conferences, many questions are being put forward about Saudi Arabia, such as: What is happening in the Kingdom? How is the government dealing with the youth, their defiance, and their demands? Why are there still poor people and unemployment in a rich state? Why is the state unable to solve the housing problem, although it extends over 2.24 million square kilometers? How can this youth action be described and explained in the current stage? In reality, this action cannot be tackled from all angles in such a short article. Criticism is now widely spread thanks to the new media channels, and no official, ministry or civil sector is spared by it. Despite this, the solutions will continue to collapse in the face of the poverty, unemployment and housing problems, unless the state provides a full and comprehensive basket of solutions to the citizens of a rich Kingdom that lies over the largest oil reserves in the world. The youth in Saudi Arabia constitute more than 60% of the population, and the real challenge facing the government is how to resolve the problems of the youth, achieve their demands and ambitions, and hasten the desired reforms. At this level, King Abdullah's scholarship program, which targets the youth remains a golden program, considering that around 150,000 students have already benefitted from it and that it constitutes the most prominent project implemented among several other ones that were announced and then disappeared! Ever since he came to power in August 2005, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz has been stressing in each and every meeting with princes or ministers the necessity of serving the citizens, achieving their demands, solving their problems, and accomplishing developmental projects that serve them, while assuring that none of them had any excuse not to do so. And in his address before the Shura Council years ago, he summoned criticism and asked everyone to benefit from it. Hence, and after he came to power, he asked the citizens not to hesitate to put forward their advice and recommendations. The Saudi state is still young and new compared to other states and populations, as it is not more than 100 years old. Nonetheless, this does not spare the government from its responsibility, seeing how the country is rich, donates to strangers, and has a limited population count. Therefore, the solutions are still accessible and these problems can be overcome with a national strategic plan focusing on transparency and public accountability for all those who fell short of the expectations. The government should stop postponing the solutions and accumulating the files, considering that the demands are growing, multiplying and escalating. For example, and despite the security authorities' prevention of marches and demonstrations and the issuance of fatwas by some sheikhs and students to ban them, gatherings still took to the streets in Saudi cities while raising demands and issuing statements calling for the release of detainees and the hastening of the reform process. In addition, a number of university and school graduates and male and female teachers organized sit-ins in front of the ministries responsible for managing their affairs, at a time when the Saudi courts are witnessing the public trials of human rights activists and others who are accused of being involved in security cases. Saudi life is changing and its new facets are emerging in a way going beyond what some have become accustomed to calling “Saudi specificity." This reveals that the Kingdom is witnessing a popular action, which – although it is approved by some and opposed by others – needs to be resolved in the best possible way for the sake of the future generations. During the era of open space, secrets can no longer be placed in the drawers. Indeed, social media websites and YouTube channels are conveying the image as it is, words are being stated out in the open and tweeted with actual names, and discussions are ongoing on Twitter about the country's future, reforms, freedoms, rights, equality and social justice. On Twitter, there is a vivid Saudi action that is much similar to the chirping of a bird, revealing the extent of the controversy, dispute and divergence between the Saudis. Hence, not one day goes by without the Saudis inaugurating a new hashtag to tackle a specific issue, whether based on concord or the exchange of accusations and mud-slinging. Mistaken are those who believe that Saudi Arabia is spared by what is happening in other countries because it is a rich oil state. They should remember that the majority of its inhabitants are young and that the middle class is eroding, which requires urgent strategic solutions to stay away from the traps and uphold national safety. There is a real necessity to listen to the patriotic voices from all movements, even if the government differs with some of them, in order to come up with a national recipe that would result in a strategic vision, social partnership and the building of strong civil institutions and professional syndicates supported by the state, thus immunizing the national environment and the country's stability. There is a definite need for reform, modernization, the authorization of the youth's participation, and the spread of a new culture interacting with all the experiences, initiatives and real needs of the people. This would pave the way before institutional transformation to face any individualistic or collective tendencies, through the enhancement of human rights, freedoms, social justice, equal opportunities, competences and aptitude, and the rejection of nepotism. [email protected] twitter | @JameelTheyabi
