Female candidates running for seats on the board of the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry elections (EPCCI) believe their chances are “no greater or less” than those of their male rivals. “My campaign is backed with lots of ideas revolving around getting the Chamber involved in educating and supporting the private sector in legal issues and providing investment opportunities,” says candidate Dina Abdullah Othman. “I'll be looking to strengthen initiatives to merge small and medium-sized businesses that are involved in the same business activity, encourage a focus on quality, restructure the Chamber's quality committees and improving communication between businessmen and women,” Othman said. Small and medium-sized businesses make up 90 percent of eligible voters at the EPCCI elections. “We need to recognize the issues that arise between private and public organizations and ease the way for private sector development in the interests of the public, as a neutral middle-party between large and small businesses,” she said. Su'aad Al-Zayedi, who with Othman and Dina Faris make up the three women candidates from the Commerce sector, said she was running on her four years of working experience at the EPCCI. “We need to work to improve efficiency in communication and services at the Chamber,” Al-Zayedi said. “I'll be seeking to encourage and strengthen channels of dialogue, combat commercial fraud and protect markets from it, endorse production quality and market control measures. I will also be focusing on industrial and tourist sectors.” The EPCCI election process, which began Saturday and concludes Wednesday, has received negligible media attention compared to the Chambers in Riyadh and Jeddah, partly due to – according to analysts – a “sense of despair” among small and medium-sized businesses over the service the Chamber provides them with and the promises made by election candidates which “disappear into thin air” once seats have been won.
