Global Policy Forum

by Abdullah Al-Fawzan/Al-Watan

In an earlier article, I addressed a letter to the highest authority over a matter of public concern. The letter was written after I failed to get an answer from the authority. I was reprimanded by the Ministry of Information who wanted to know why I bypassed the minister and directly addressed the highest authority instead. I told them I did so because I had written several times to the minister but received no reply.

I am now writing to the minister of finance about the SR6.9 billion that is being held by Saudi Telecommunications Company (STC) as reserved profits. The company says the money represents profits earned over the past two years and is about to sell part of its shares to the public. It has not told the public what will become of that large sum of money. Will the entire amount end up in the state's coffers or will future shareholders have access to it? The question is important because what is at stake is not a small figure or even a few hundred millions. We are talking here about billions of riyals which in fact amount to almost half of STC's capital. Such an amount would greatly influence share prices, considering whether the money would benefit shareholders or be taken by the state.

His Excellency the Minister of Finance personally announced the launch of STC's privatization in his capacity as chairman of the Public Investments Fund. But neither his statement nor those announcements and statements issued later by STC mentioned anything about these profits. The minister did not respond to my questions and I do not know what I should do to get an answer to the question. I do not even know what a writer like me should do if there is no reply from the relevant minister.

Now I put the question to His Excellency the Minister of Information, asking him to help me and other writers. Please tell us what we should do in such situations.

Your Excellency, you are the minister in charge of the press and the media. If you choose not to act, then how can the ministry have the right to reprimand or censure writers who bypass those ministers who fail to answer questions. You are the minister who cares for the press and encourages it to operate smoothly without obstacles.

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