Saudi Arabia's King Salman Bin Abdel-Aziz issued a series of royal decrees 21 April reinstating income compensation and bonuses that were suspended for months, rewarding soldiers in the Yemen war, and appointing several young princes to government positions. More than 35 decrees began with one to “restore all compensation, bonuses and benefits to civilian and military government employees” that were suspended for revision in September 2016 after global oil prices dropped. The second decree granted “a two-month bonus for those on the frontlines in operations Storm of Resolve and Restore Hope at the ministries of Defence, Interior, National Guard and General Intelligence”. Fawaz Al-Alami, professor of economics and international trade expert, notes that “there has been great improvement in the national economy, most notably slashing the trade deficit by more than half, and the returns of government bonds were good, which contributed to reinstating these benefits.” Al-Alami estimates there are 51 benefits, of which 20 were suspended and 31 revised at a cost of 14-22 billion Saudi riyals. The second in line to the throne, Mohamed Bin Salman, had recommended to his father, the king, to restore these benefits. Mohamed Bin Salman is also president of the Development and Economic Affairs Council that oversees the national economy and key institutions. Al-Alami continued that the performance of the Saudi economy was good because of non-oil revenues, which are of great importance to the senior political elite as part of the 2030 Vision, which aims to diversify Saudi sources of income. Projections indicate that the price of oil will not surpass $90 per barrel, which will negatively impact Gulf economies and several African countries that primarily rely on oil revenues. “This is why the 2030 Vision is important,” explains Al-Alami. The response to granting a two-month bonus to soldiers on the frontline in Yemen was well received, especially as battles escalate in border areas and inside Yemen against Houthis and their ally, former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The local press hailed “giving youth opportunity in government positions” after 11 young princes were appointed to various positions across the kingdom. A royal decree replaced Prince Saud Bin Abdel-Mohsen as governor of Hael with Prince Abdel-Aziz Bin Saad. In the north (on the border with Iraq, where there is a fierce battle against Islamic State in Mosul), Prince Mishaal Bin Abdullah, the son of the previous king, was replaced by Prince Faisal Bin Khaled Bin Sultan. In the region of Al-Bahha Al-Saghira separating the southern area and the two religious capitals Mecca and Medina, Prince Mishari Bin Saud was replaced by his brother Prince Hossam Bin Saud, the sons of late King Saud (1953-1964). Meanwhile, King Salman appointed five deputies to the governors of the southern regions of Assir, Prince Mansour Bin Moqren (the son of the former heir to the throne); Jazan, Prince Mohamed Bin Abdel-Aziz; and Najran, Prince Turki Bin Hazloul. Ahmed Bin Fahd Bin Salman was appointed deputy to the governor of the oil-rich eastern region; Saud Bin Khaled Bin Faisal became deputy of the governor of Medina; and Prince Mohamed Bin Abdel-Rahman Bin Abdel-Aziz was appointed deputy to the governor of Riyadh. Most of the new appointees are under the age of 50. Several editorials in local newspapers asserted these princes will have a great impact in a country that is mostly composed of youth and is very advanced in using social media, and is experiencing fundamental transformations in the role of women and demands on government jobs. The royal decrees also impacted the ministries of Defence and General Intelligence. General Eid Bin Awad Al-Shalawi, commander of ground troops, was replaced by General Prince Fahd Bin Turki Bin Abdel-Aziz. Meanwhile, General Youssef Al-Idrisi retired as deputy to the chief of intelligence and was replaced by Major General Ahmed Al-Esseiri. Saad Al-Anzi, a Saudi journalist, described the appointments and replacements as “normal procedure”. Al-Idrisi retired because of age and Al-Shalawi was promoted to adviser to the minister of defence. Al-Esseiri's appointment could be due to the leadership's focus on operations Storm of Resolve and Restoring Hope, which Al-Esseiri has been the spokesman for since the beginning in March 2015. Among other youth appointments, the king appointed his son, Prince Khaled Bin Salman, 32, as Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington to replace Prince Abdullah Bin Faisal Bin Turki who served in that post for just over one year. The new ambassador is a fighter pilot in the Saudi Royal Air Force who graduated from the US about 10 years ago. Another of the king's sons, Prince Abdel-Aziz Bin Salman, 56, was promoted to state minister at the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources. He is a government employee who has long experience in industrial management and lecturing, and is a permanent member of the Saudi delegation to OPEC since he began working at the ministry in 1987. Even though many young Saudis were given new posts, Minister of Information Adel Al-Toreifi, 38, was replaced by Awad Al-Awad, a diplomat who served as Saudi ambassador in Germany, Morocco, Russia, Turkey and Lebanon. Al-Awad is the fourth diplomat to serve as minister of information, overseeing the General Authority for Culture. It is helpful to appoint diplomats to this sensitive ministry in this conservative country that is at the frontline of the war on terrorism and its radical ideology. The most unusual decree was dismissing Minister of Civil Services Khaled Al-Araj and forming a cabinet committee to investigate him for abuse of power. A citizen had filed a complaint with the Saudi Anti-Corruption Authority (known as Nazaha, or Integrity) that Al-Araj's son was receiving a high salary. Al-Anzi said the royal decree demonstrates that fighting corruption is a top priority for Saudi leadership, no matter who the culprit is. “It is normal in a country where youth are demanding jobs and services,” said the Saudi journalist. “This is not an unprecedented incident. In the past, King Salman fired the minister of health when a complaint by a citizen was ignored by the minister.” Al-Anzi adds: “We know King Salman as a warrior against corruption since he was the governor of Riyadh, therefore the decision was not unusual. Even though the royal decree is not an accusation against the minister, it is a directive for investigation.” The royal decrees were in response to popular demands to reform economic conditions on the one hand, and to improve interaction between the regime and the public on the other. As well as restoring all benefits, compensations and bonuses, the Saudi King also issued a decree that all examinations should be complete before the start of Ramadan. This makes it easier for families, especially since more than one quarter of the population are enrolled in different stages of education.
