The Arabian peninsula is a compelling pivot between Asia, Africa, the Mid-East and Europe. Its connective force comes not merely from the fact that Saudi Arabia is an oil superpower in the world, but because it goes through immense modernisation. This transformation is led by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) who announced their ambitious social reforms and a thriving long-term government programme called Vision 2030 in 2017. As a result, the country has undergone such social, economical and cultural changes in just several years other countries would not go through in a century’s time.
On a hot day in Riyadh, I visited the editorial of Arab News - a market leading, English language news daily. Symbolically, the paper has just recently swapped slogan from „Middle East’s leading Arab English language daily” to „The voice of a changing region” which very well reflects that this country is not just committed to changes, but it also wants to become visible in the world.
A Land with Wealth of Challenges
Modernisation is a cultural as well as economic procedure that has local characteristics and specialities. MBS is moderate and considerate in the modernisation process. He believes in a smooth transition, because he has well identified that he needs to preserve Saudi Arabia’s security and thus prevailing good partnership with the West and the US, on one hand and maintain good living standards, on the other.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s population is 16 times as big as it used to be hundred years ago and its capital, Riyadh counts a population of 6 million while it used to host only four hundred thousand inhabitants 86 years ago when the first drops of oil dribbled from the sand in the Dammam oilfield.
Ever since the Kingdom became one of the biggest oil exporters in the world, then stepped up on the world stage as founding member of OPEC in 1960 with the second biggest oil reserves on the globe.
Reforms with Roots
Reforms have been intensified lately but not unprecedented. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia became member of major international and intergovernmental organisations such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, the World Bank the Arab League not long after the II. World War already, co-established the Gulf Countries Cooperation in 1981 and joined the G20 in 2008.
MBS is busy framing a new social contract with a diverse population of Saudi Arabia relying on providing ample social well-being and fair redistribution:less bureaucracy, less corruption, more social inclusion, more social mobility and good standards of living are the key driving forces behind his ambitious plans.
Saudi Arabia granted women the right to drive not just as a gestural move in the name of emancipation but stemming from a rational decision to facilitate economy by withholding millions of dollars immigrant taxi drivers had been sending home from the fares paid by Saudi women formerly.
Let alone the upstream pressure of such a measure to mobilise women on the labour market. Social reforms have also included issuing the first tourist VISA’s, introducing female schooling and easing male guardianship – meaning women can nowdays travel on their own – not to mention opening cinemas, entertainment centers and other social spaces. All this imposed a surge in foreign investment, tourism and international sport venues.
Saudi Vision 2030 aims to bring a complete Saudi political, economic, educational and cultural transformation. It aims to attract foreign direct investment and bring back those Saudi affiliated corporates that chose London or Dubai for their seats because Saudi’s legal and tax environment were not attractive enough two decades ago.
Representative media trends
The media landscape is well representing the changes on a whole. By today Saudi Arabian society has one of the highest social media penetration in the world. Increasing crowds of digital natives are democratising information flow. The majority of TV channels in KSA would not afford relying on commercial revenues alone, so they need a supportive government, but at the same time advertisement market is also growing along with the strengthening of competitive market economy.
One of the biggest media conglomerates in the MENA region, MBC - Middle East Broadcasting Company – was initially established in London in 1991 by media mogul, Waleed Al Ibrahim because freedom of speech was something he found in the West. When Dubai made a good offer and ensured freedom of speech would be provided there was no reason for MBC to stay in London and reallocated to the United Arab Emirates. As Riyadh is loosening its grip on media control, MBC is now relocating to the Saudi capital. I was happy to learn about the new buildings under construction at the premise of Al Arabiya Television Channel when I was paying a visit.
The role of a media mogul like Sheik Waleed is to abide by the rules but not to the extent that he looses viewers. My host at Al Arabiya confirmed there was no significant government controll on how Al Arabiya reports on international subjects as the Gaza conflict. The Saudi Government and Media Ministry encourage them to be objective, factual and fair.
Governmental and economic stakeholders are working hand in hand to modernize the islamic society of the Arabian peninsula, without compromising on respecting and preserving Saudi customs and traditions.
Not long after the turn of the century, in an interview, Abdul Rahman Rashed, General Manager of MBC confirmed their objective was to modernise and liberalise how arabs and saudi people think.
Saudisation
Institutional entrepreneurs like Waleed Al Ibrahim of MBC or Alwaleed bin Talal of Rotane Media Group promote individual self-realisation and achievements. They reject „Islam hijacked by radicals” similarly to the government. They support re-islamisation, modernisation and the scheme of Saudisation meaning a support of regulations imposing fines on companies that employ more foreigners than Saudis.
A Grand Vision to be Fulfilled
Will the futuristic linear city called the Line be spanning 170 kilometers across the desert from the Red Sea Coast by the end of this decade? Will the dream of Crown Prince come true to achieve 50% of the Kingdom’s total energy generation from renewable sources in five years time? Will the targets of Vision 2030 be met to decrease unemployment under 7%? Shall we see tourism becoming a considerable part of the Saudi economy? Will women’s participation increase significantly? Will renewable energy replace fossil fuels in the years to come? And last but not least: will self-driving cars roam the Martian Nefud desert by year 2030?
One can not be certain. But what is for sure is that Saudi Arabia has recently embarked on an exciting and exemplary journey to becoming an excellent place to live in and developing a vibrant and opened society with a thriving and diversified economy. Saudi Arabia’s emergence as a political as well as economical heavyweight is in the interest of everyone in maintaining global energy security and peace.
During the Riyadh Festival Season we walk along the binding streets of Riyadh Boulevard World with my guide, Masab – a civil servant from the Media Ministry – who tells me, crime rate has been historically low, the standard of living is historically the highest and the people are happy. We pass replicas of Italy, Spain and Greece and sit down for a rest by the fairy-blue Lagoon Lake that made its way up to the the Guinness World Records as the largest artificial lake in the world.
Authored by András Szalay-Berzeviczy, CEO of TranzPress Ltd.
