ABHA 2030: ASIR DEPUTY GOV DISCUSSES REFORMS,

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000512 SIPDIS SIPDIS RIYADH, PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN, DEPT PASS TO NEA/ARP FOR RJACHIM/SRAMESH E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2017 TAGS: ECON EIND ELAB SCUL SOCI SUBJECT: ABHA 2030: ASIR DEPUTY GOV DISCUSSES REFORMS, SAUDIZATION REF: 05 JEDDAH 5022 Classified By: Consul General Tatiana Gfoeller for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (S) SUMMARY: While in Abha to open the American Culture and Commerce Festival organized by Consulate General Jeddah, the CG met with the Deputy Governor (DG) of Asir to discuss the status of ongoing reforms in the province. These reforms, collectively known as "Abha 2030," include modernizing the education system, developing a high-tech sector, expanding the tourism industry, and relaxing certain social restrictions. The DG acknowledged contradictions between some of these reforms and the SAG,s Saudization policy, and called the latter "a dead letter." END SUMMARY. A PRINCE,S LEGACY OF REFORM ¶2. (S) While in Abha to open the American Culture and Commerce Festival organized by Consulate General Jeddah, the CG took the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Khedheiri, Deputy Governor of Asir province, for a wide-ranging discussion on economic, political, and social trends in the region. The DG was eager to present Asir as a model of development within the Kingdom, and excitedly described ongoing efforts to modernize the deeply conservative region, also known for being the place of origin of 11 of the 15 Saudi hijackers involved in the attacks of September 11. ¶3. (S) The reforms now underway were initiated by the former governor, Prince Khaled al Faisal, who spent thirty years fighting a lonely battle to bring Asir out of obscurantism. Several years ago, he enlisted the help of Dr. Al-Khedheiri, who reluctantly came from Riyadh to Abha, the provincial capital of Asir, to serve as his longtime friend,s deputy. In May, the Prince,s close alliance with King Abdullah resulted in his elevation to Governor of Mecca, arguably the most prestigious governorship in the Kingdom. Dr. Al-Khedheiri, who holds advanced degrees in city planning and development from prestigious American universities, has remained as deputy to the new governor, Prince Faisal ibn Khaled. In this role, he continues to manage a comprehensive plan of development that aims for the economic, political, and social transformation of Asir. He calls this plan "Abha 2030," and it codifies his old superior,s thirty-year campaign to modernize the province. DEVELOPING THE ECONOMY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY AND TOURISM ¶4. (S) Economically, Asir is stymied by its underdeveloped workforce. The DG described plans to build more universities to address the fact that most Asiris have only religious educations and lack marketable skills. These universities are meant to prepare students for information technology careers and thereby bring high-tech jobs to the region. The ultimate goal would be for Abha to become a "Silicon Valley" within the Kingdom. ¶5. (S) Another economic pillar of Abha 2030 is the development of Asir as a tourist destination. In addition to mentioning plans for numerous five-star hotels, the DG described a project to build an "International Village" in the center of Abha featuring a house from every region of the world and from all regions within the Kingdom. Each house will showcase the culture and economy of its respective region, educating locals and tourists about the world and about Saudi Arabia. The DG stated that land in the center of Abha has already been allocated for the International Village and building has begun. TRADITIONS PRESERVED, IF ONLY UNDER GLASS ¶6. (S) The tourism development plan also includes model villages demonstrating the lifestyles of the ancient Asiris. The CG accompanied the DG to one such village, Al Hanbala, located at the bottom of a deep ravine. The village, accessible today via a cable car, could until recently only be reached by rope. The traditional villagers were not constrained by Wahhabi precepts: the women did not veil and the men wore Yemeni-style skirts and flowers in their hair, an ancient practice which some scholars infer to have served as a natural insect repellent. Some thirty years ago, Prince Khaled evicted the village,s residents and forced them to adopt Saudi customs, including the thobe for men and veil for women. He set them up in a new, modern-style village at the top of the ravine. Today, the original village exists only as an exhibit for tourists. JEDDAH 00000512 002 OF 002 ¶7. (S) The CG had an opportunity to visit one of the original inhabitants of the village, who showed her around his old home, now part of the exhibit. The tiny dwelling was stuffed with old everyday utensils, such as traditional cooking and coffee pots, as well as some ancient photographs of villages in their traditional (pre-Saudi) garb. (It was odd to see the old man moving around what had been his house, now displayed as a curiosity to strangers.) (COMMENT: The eviction of the village is a good example of Prince Khaled,s authoritarian style of development, which improves material conditions while expunging local culture. END COMMENT.) A POOR OUTLOOK FOR SAUDIZATION? ¶8. (S) In a previous meeting, Prince Khaled told the CG with pride that all men from this village of educable age received a college education, with three earning PhDs (reftel). In his own meeting with the CG, Dr. Al-Khedheiri proudly repeated this fact. This led to a discussion of Saudization, the SAG,s policy of encouraging employment of Saudis to displace the missions of expatriate workers presently living in the Kingdom. The CG asked how this policy could be reconciled with Asir,s educational reforms, given the province,s high unemployment and the predominance of menial jobs filled by expatriate workers. If Saudis are being educated to qualify for high-skilled positions, why is the SAG intent on also increasing their representation in low-skilled occupations that most consider to be beneath them? She also referred to what Asiri members of a women,s employment center had told her on a previous visit to Abha, i.e. that the only way Saudization would eventually work was to replace expatriates with Saudi women, who "work hard," as opposed to "Saudi men, who are lazy." To this the DG responded that Saudization is a "dead letter" and unlikely ever to gain traction. He added: "I wouldn,t want my son to do menial labor or my daughter for that matter. Let the foreigners continue to do that. They will be with us forever but the key is to periodically ship them out and replace them with new people, so they don,t put down roots in our country." (COMMENT: This statement makes the DG the highest known official to predict the failure of the Saudization policy. END COMMENT.) RELAXING THE RULES ¶9. (S) Politically, the Abha 2030 plan appears to be aimed not at democratic reform but at bolstering support for the royal family, although this latter goal may itself be providing the impetus for social reforms meant to curb Islamic fundamentalism. Changes include liberalized education and the relaxing of social norms. For example, one initiative to be announced will remove the current restriction against men entering malls, and will also allow them into the family sections of certain establishments. This will obviate rules that are regularly circumvented: a young man can currently pay a going rate of one hundred riyals (about $30) to get a woman to act as his sister if his presence is challenged by the roving mutawwa,in, or religious police. The initiative will also introduce strict penalties for harassing women in these newly accessible places. Interestingly, Prince Khaled did not consult with the King before drafting this reform and the DG said that this reform will be introduced "without telling anybody else outside of our region. That way, they will be faced with a fait accompli." A NEW PRINCE IN ABHA, A NEW PLAN IN JEDDAH ¶10. (S) When Prince Khaled left Abha in May to become Governor of Mecca, his cousin Prince Faisal ibn Khaled replaced him as Governor of Asir. It is too early to tell if the new governor will reverse his predecessor,s reforms, but so far he has continued the course. The CG has met several times with Prince Faisal and has observed him to be eager but young and unsure of himself, an assessment that was corroborated by Dr. Al-Khedheiri. The DG confided to the CG that he is not happy with the current situation, and is secretly planning to move to Jeddah in six months, where he SIPDIS will work again for his beloved mentor, Prince Khaled, and oversee a more ambitious version of the reforms he has managed in Abha. GFOELLER