Praising the True Paternal Feelings Evident in the King's Speech,

Dr. Al-Shagawi: The Royal Decree Will Contribute to the

Improvement of Government Performance Level,

Protection the Public Treasury, and Effect on

Comprehensive Administrative Development

His Exellency Dr. Abdurrahman Ibn Abdullah Al-Shagawi, Director General of the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) described the speech addressed by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Saudi citizens as the speech of a peerless leader talking to his citizens with honesty and faith, a fact which made his words touch their hearts and prompted them to respond with similar honesty and affection.

Dr. Al-Shagawi added that the decrees issued by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques were ones for good and growth, and they had covered all citizens and institutions of this country.  Their implications, the IPA director said, emphasized that citizens were the focus point for the nation's leader, and that the prosperity in which the Kingdom lived under this beneficent reign was like a blessed cloud whose rain brought fruit to all, with no distinction or exception; the decrees covered all sectors of society and brought cheerfulness and happiness to every household throughout the Kingdom.

The IPA Director General affirmed that continuity and sustainability characterized the content of the noble royal decrees, for a good part of them dealt with public institutions, their organization, and supervision of their performance and the implementation of their projects.  This, he added, would reflect positively and directly on the services offered to citizens and would considerably raise performance levels.  Likewise, it would place public funds under the direct and careful scrutiny of concerned bodies, he said.

Dr. Al-Shagawi went on to say that the creation of the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the appointment of a chairman with the rank of a minister to preside over it expressed an honest and certain desire on the part of the King to raise the level of government institution performance to the highest level and to protect public funds by following the best methods of expenditure and complying with the law.  The King, said the IPA Director General, was firm on this and emphasized that the work of the commission should cover all public sectors, with no exception whatsoever.  This attitude of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, he added, signaled the beginning of a new, firm phase of administrative organization and reform, which would reinforce former reform decisions and lead to a remarkable development drive in the country.

Dr. Al-Shagawi stressed the importance of the royal decrees covering employment seeking citizens, saying that these decrees revealed the paternal feelings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques towards qualified young  people looking for decent jobs, and were characterized by his feeling, as a leader of the country, of responsibility towards citizens and appreciating their rights to have employment opportunities to contribute in building this nation and be part of  the process of development.  Dr. Al-Shagawi pointed out that not only did the king's decree awarding a stipend of 2,000 riyals each to the unemployed who were seriously seeking employment, but he also instructed the ministers of commerce and industry, and labor to meet immediately with businessmen to reaffirm the government's serious intention to get Saudi nationals to fill all jobs and the private sector's duty to raise the percentage of Saudi workers in its institutions.  This, said the IPA Director General, showed a serious and firm intention to have the private sector contribute to the drive to provide jobs for citizens, and it also revealed that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques would personally follow up on his instructions, as evident in his instruction to the Ministry of Labor to submit reports on the percentages of Saudization of jobs, on the procedures implemented to secure positions for Saudis in the private sector, and on the attitude of businessmen, whether they responded positively, negatively, or failed to respond.

Dr. Al-Shagawi commended the royal decree to set 3,000 riyals as the minimum monthly salary for Saudi government workers, pointing out that this gesture also reflected the King's compassion and sympathy with the concerns and needs of citizens and their right to lead decent lives.

 Dr. Al-Shagawi concluded his statement by wishing the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques continuous success and guidance from the Almighty God, as well as a long, healthy, and prosperous life, and hoping that the Kingdom would continue to be safe and secure under the guidance of the King, the Crown Prince, and the Second Deputy Premier.