Saudi ‘Vision 2030’ a milestone

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YOUR Excellency the Prince, to be frank with you we had doubted your ability to handle the enormous task which has been assigned to you. This is the truth and this is how the friends and people loyal to you felt because from the economic point of view we were panicky and worried when you announced the establishment of the sovereign investment fund worth more than $2 trillion.

Our fear worsened when the details of this economic plan began to leak to such an extent that we began asking out of frustration ‘where did this young man get all this from and where is he heading to? The scenario opened the door for more panic, doubts and worries.

Prince Mohammad, as we have been always saying, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the locomotive of the GCC countries that takes in its stride the challenges facing the nation. Some people in the GCC countries are mature enough and yet they get confused in the face of crisis. They become confused and feel embarrassed because they don’t know the way out.

In the United States and the West, they look upon administration as an art of choosing assistants and a work team. It is nice for a leader to be in charge of the administration and this is exactly the same theory which you have put in practice.

Yes, we initially doubted your ability. We said this young man is a dream of the younger generation but will be unable to live up to the expectations of the economic council. Our doubts were justified because this council deals with the biggest Arabian Gulf trading house or possible even the entire Middle East.

What you said yesterday during a press conference has allayed our fears and put our minds at rest. Yesterday, you spelled out to us in detail the comprehensive development plan of Saudi Arabia. You characterized it through logic, you read out the reality, the future and numbers.

The numbers may not be significant, but what is important is the person who manages these numbers by transforming them into comprehensive development projects to diversify the economy and offer job opportunities for the youth.

Your Excellency the Prince, your address was transparent and full of commitment to the future of your country. We are now sure that you are up to the task and deserve the esteemed confidence reposed in you by the Saudis.

The comprehensive economic vision has blown our minds and we are more relaxed since you will personally follow up the execution of the plan and all that is associated with it.

This is because you and your leader King Salman Bin Abdul-Aziz, as we understand, are in a hurry to realize the achievements. This is a legitimate desire, because all excellent leaders want things to be done ahead of time.

Prince Mohammad you have delighted us and cleared our minds. This is because the GCC economy is tied to the Saudi locomotive, so we want to see the locomotive taking off with the speed of a bullet, you are the brain behind the locomotive and the cavalier and we put our trust in you.

Your Excellency the Prince, I will not hide the fact that the announcement which you made Monday concerning ‘Saudi Vision 2030’ is a milestone in the history of the Kingdom and the region.

You have used it to restore our collective hope — the hope of the investors and businesspeople who are dreaming of a brighter future for the nation. The mind is now at rest and we feel relaxed, but there still remains the execution.

This calls for dusting the moribund laws and decisions while there still need for an update.

Your Excellency the Prince, some leaders are fantastic orators when they talk about problems, but disappointment sets in when they cannot proffer solutions to the problems. In your case, you have initiated the solutions immediately with clarity and transparency. Therefore, this is the crux of the matter.

Your Excellency the Prince, you have done what was expected.

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah

Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times

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