Saudi Arabia: King Salman Announces Cabinet Reshuffle
By Arab News
By Rodolfo C. Estimo Jr.
The major changes in Saudi ministries and reshuffling of Cabinet members announced on national TV on Saturday have drawn favorable reactions from a cross section of society.
“The changes were expected in the wake of the announcement of Vision 2030 by Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Salman,” said prominent Islamic scholar and TV host Mohsin Shaikh Al-Hassan.
He said that the plan is comprehensive and all-encompassing so that corresponding adjustments in government ministries had to be made to make sure that Vision 2030 achieve its goals.
He said that under Vision 2030, the citizens have become partners of government in realizing the objectives under the plan.
“There’s now a site in the social media where the people could post their observations on the way the government functions as well as the services they receive,” said Al-Hassan, who hosted the “Jobs on Air” program on Saudi TV channel.He added that as a result, ministers now have to work harder to make sure they accomplish what they’re expected to do to deliver and justify being public servants.
“Earlier, a minister was happy because of his position. That’s no longer the case. Now they have to make every minute count. They have to work and deliver results,” said Al-Hassan.
Abdullah Zaid Al-Meleihi, Al-Ramez International Group chairman, said that the changes in the Saudi Cabinet were expected.
“The government ministries had to be calibrated if the Kingdom were to achieve what it had set out to accomplish under Vision 2030, especially now that it has focused on veering away from oil economy,” he said.
He said that it won’t be easy but with the new plan, it would be possible “if we make the right moves and take a calibrated approach to make the ministries perform as expected.”
He said that with the changes announced in the government, the Kingdom and the Saudi people are moving in the right direction.
A Saudi inventor said that announcement of the changes in the different ministries is a welcome development.
“Aramco chief Khalid Al-Falih is the right choice to be in charge of energy, industry and mineral resources,” he said.
He added that he’s looking forward to the realization of the goals and objectives set forth in Vision 2030.
