Last rant on the G20 Summit

Apologies for the hiatus. I was planning to write a long wrap-up post about the G20 Summit, but the week after my London trip was hectic and it’s too late now. Instead, I will link to some of what my fellow bloggers wrote.

The only thing that I want to add here is regarding the Saudi contribution to the IMF. I attended the press conference of British PM Gordon Brown where BBC Arabic asked him about this and he totally ignored the question. Later on the same day, I had a chance to ask the same question to Michael Froman, deputy assistant to Obama and deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs. He said Saudi Arabia did not publicly announce how much they plan to contribute to the IMF.

Read more from G20Voice bloggers:

Overall, attending the G20 Summit in London was a great experience, and the G20Voice bloggers were awesome. The best part was probably attending the Obama press conference. We had to stand in line for 90 minutes to get in, but it was worth it. Here’s my favourite moment from the event:

The G20 Summit Update

The mood at the ExCel Conference Center seems to be swinging between optimism and fear that things might collapse at the last second. The uncertainty is the result of the rift between American-British calls for more spending and French-German demands for more regulation. French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for a “global regulator” and said tougher regulation is “nonnegotiable.”

It seems that there are three camps now. First, you have the US, UK, and Japan who are pushing for greater fiscal spending to stimulate their economies. Then you have Germany, France, and probably the Czech Republic, who are pushing in the opposite direction. And finally you have countries like China, Russia, India, and Saudi Arabia, who will consider joining the first or the second camp, depending on where their interests are.

It is expected, though, that these difference will be played down and the final communique will come out in a language that each party can interpret differently.

Now when it comes to reforming the IMF, it is agreed that the need to reform the institution is urgent. However, G20 countries have yet to reach an agreement over the contributions every country will make to help the IMF fight the financial crisis. Thanks to a cushion of reserves Saudi Arabia built during six years of soaring oil price, the country was not hit very hard by the financial crisis, and that’s why the US and UK asked Saudi Arabia to increase its contribution to the IMF.

Rumors circulated last week that Saudi Arabia was considering increasing its IMF contribution in exchange for higher quotas. Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf denied these reports, adding: “What is on the table now is for support from all the major member states of the fund.” Saudi Arabia is expected to contribute $100bn, but some sources suggest that the government prefers to decrease its contribution to $90bn.

Some Saudis think that the government should not listen to these demands. Fawaz al-Alami says it is time for big countries to realize that globalization rules do not give them the right to exploit the resources of the developing countries to fix their failed economic policies.

The G20 Summit

We are finally at the media center for the G20 Summit. I’m sitting on a long table with the rest of the G20Voice bloggers, and we are expecting a big day here. Everybody is talking about how World leaders are going to fix the global financial system through more regulation and transparency. Also big on the agenda is reforming the IMF and other financial institutions. More updates from here as news starts to emerge from behind the closed doors.

Confusing Signals

More than two years after publishing their first report, the National Society of Human Rights (NSHR) published their second report, and I have to say that I am impressed. The report is written in a simple, clean, and professional language that should promote human rights principles among Saudi citizens.

The report criticized many government departments for their abuses of human rights, and also criticized the slow pace of reforms in judiciary as well as the performance of the Shoura Council. The full text of the report is available here (Arabic PDF). Arab News provides some highlights from the report.

I don’t think I need to talk in detail about the report. I already said that I was impressed and I really think the report speaks for itself. But I would like to point out to one interesting tidbit here.

As part of the remarks on the Shoura Council performance, the report called for electing the members instead of the current method of selection. The report also said there is a need to take effective steps to protect and promote women’s rights. But soon after the report was released, Interior Minister Prince Naif came out to say that Saudi Arabia has no need for women members of parliament or elections. Yesterday, Prince Naif was appointed as second deputy premier.

Now this is exactly the kind of mixed signals that makes the world question the commitment of our country to its much publicized reform plans, not to mention how it leaves the people confused about where their nation is heading. So what’s going on here? Frankly, I don’t get it. I. Just. Don’t. Get. It.

Our ‘State of the Union’ Address?

King Abdullah will open the new cycle of Shoura Council with a major speech that he will give on Tuesday. The speech is expected to highlight the goals, programs, and aspirations of the government for the current year. The King will also speak to the Shoura members about his vision for the country’s domestic and foreign policies.

But let’s pause for a moment and go back to April of last year, when the King addressed the Shoura, and many were anticipating significant announcements. Unfortunately, that speech carried nothing major. Is this a good reason not to expect much this time around? Maybe, but the recent changes in the government could be a sign that we are in for something different this year.

This is all speculation, of course. Many rumors are flying around town but no one is certain about anything. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Not holding my breath, though.

UPDATE: No big announcements in the King’s speech. Focus was on Arab unity and the international economical crisis. Read more…

Unacceptable

Sheikh Namer al-Namer is back at it again. After his idiotic statements last summer he was detained for a while and later released, but he was banned from leading prayers and speaking in public. The recent tension in Madinah made him break the restrictions and he came out with even more idiotic statements.

In a speech he gave last Friday in a mosque in Awwamiyah, Sheikh al-Namer said that Shia should seek independence if the government continues its discrimination against them. “Our dignity is above the unity of this country,” he added.

What a moron!

Instead of trying to sooth the tension and calm the public down, he is openly calling for a civil war. During difficult times you expect some people to step up and rise to the occasion, show wisdom and leadership. Unfortunately, we have seen none of that during this crisis. Both the government and Shia leaders have failed to show the needed sense of responsibility to deal with the incidents and their aftermath.

However, I’m glad that I’m not alone in rejecting al-Namer’s divisive statements. People like Tawfeeq al-Saif has come out to denounce these statements. “They are totally rejected,” al-Saif said. There are conflicted reports on the web regarding the fate of al-Namer after his fiery speech. Some websites say he was arrested, others say he managed to escape the security forces that came to arrest him.

He will be arrested and then he will be released. But the truth is that his words will harm the Shia community and the national unity in Saudi Arabia much more than they will cause him harm.