Saudi Monarchy and Its Course along the Passage of History - Essay Example

Saudi Monarchy and its along the Passage of History ]In a fair political term, the political system of the Kingdomof Saudi Arabia can be considered as absolute monarchy. Indeed Saudi Arabian monarchy considers the king as the head of both the state and its government. The King of Saudi Arab functions as the chairman of the country’s Council of Ministers. But since the country is ruled according to the Islamic Laws, the King does not preserve any right to enact laws. He only “issues royal decrees in accord with the shari’a” (Matthes et al 2). The most difficult duty that the King has to perform is to maintain a balanced and harmonious relationship among the Royal Family members, the upper-class people of the society and the Ulama, an Islamic religious community (Lacey 39). The difficulty mainly arises from the conflict of interests between the religious community and the other bourgeois class people, as in this regard, Matthes et al says that the king’s decision-making often involves maintaining balance and mitigating “conflict between religious and power interests” (3). Due to the tribal pattern of the Saudi Arabian society, the King often needs to interfere into tribal agreements, and at the same time, to renew the government’s agreements with the Arabian tribes. It is mutually agreed that, unlike a democratic political system the Saudi Royal Family is endowed with the power to dethrone the King. Overview of Saudi Arabian Government From the very beginning of the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, the country is being ruled under monarchy, as Gerald Butt, a middle East Analyst, says, “The history of Saudi Arabia is entwined - as much as its name is - with the fate and fortunes of the House of Saud, which traces its origins back to the 18th Century” (2). Indeed the Saudi politics is largely governed by the Al Soud Family members who occupy almost the central executive positions of the government. Due to this royal family-centric structure of the government, some of the western scholars like Mathew Arnold, John Frisby, Nigel Friedman, and others tend to characterize the kingdom as a “family firm”. Regarding the Royal Family-centric structure of the Saudi government, Matthes et al says, “Occupying nearly all the important state positions, the large Al Saud family dominates Saudi-Arabian politics as well as parts of the economy making the desert kingdom a “family firm”(4). The country’s high authoritative decisions come from a cabinet of 15 members. Since the cabinet primarily consists of members who are close in kinship to the King, it becomes often difficult to take a decision by fulfilling all of the members’ interests. The decisions are often deterred and protracted. Constitution of Saudi Arabia: Interests of Royal Family, Islam, and the Leading Technocrat in it Since Saudi Arabia’s constitution consists of the Koran, Allah’s laws and Sunnah, the explanation of the Koran, the country does not have any constitution in traditional sense, rather it has some 83 operational laws on which the kingdom is expected to be operated. Since the state is responsible for the enforcement of Islamic law or Shariah, the Saudi constitution does not consider the existence of religious organizations. Also Article 5 declares the political system of the country as monarchy and also it does not permit any political organizations in the country. According to article 5c, the King can choose his heir. Though the King is considered to be endowed with unfettered power, he is expected to respect Islamic Laws and Values. According to Article 44, three types of authorities are considered to function as parts of the state, while the King preserves the supreme power to interfere into any of these authoritative powers. According to the Saudi Constitution, the monarchy is considered as the key source of power with the right to interfere into any level of the government. The Council of Ministers and its Functions during the Years Prior to 1990 Prior to the year 1953, the major policy making of the country involves both the royal family member, especially the princes and other influential persons of the society such as the leading business families and technocrats of the society. But in 1953, according to a royal decree, the Council of Ministers came into being as an important part of the country’s decision making process. Consensus is a key requirement for the enactment of the proposal, as a law, which is expected to be made by the king, Prices or key ministers (Lacey 59-68). The ratification of any proposal as a law also requires compatibility with Shariah as one of the primary conditions. Since its appointment in 1953, the Council of Ministers has played significant role in policy-making to provide guidance to the rising bureaucracy in the country. Princes, technocrats and leading business men are the decision makers in Soudi Arabia. To handle the Islamic and other traditional law is upon The Prince/king. The king format a council board first and second deputy prime ministers as well as twenty ministers and two other state ministers who will not get any public position. The council of ministers looks upon all the investigations and complaints of the country. In the cabinet body, there are more than twenty ministers including six state members below the king. Referring to the structure of the Council of Ministers, Matthes et al says that the Council of Ministers “consists of a prime minister the first and second deputy prime ministers, twenty ministers, two ministers of state, and a small number of advisors and heads of major autonomous organizations” (4). Events in the 1990s and their Influences on Saudi Politics During the long ruling of the Saud Family, the course of the country’s history has been shaped by different important events such as the bombing of the 1980s, the rise of extremist, the assassination of King Faisal, its role in the Arab-Israel conflicts, etc. that have exerted huge influences on the Saudi government’s internal ruling policy as well as the foreign policies. Being at the heart of the Islamic world and blessed with some valuable natural resources mainly crude oil mines and petroleum, the country often plays a crucial part in international politics. Also having a vast oil reserve, Saudi Arabia plays a significant role in international politics, as Matthes et al says in this regard, “Politics in Saudi Arabia are heavily influenced by two characteristics – Mecca and petrol” (3). In the early 1990s, the Saud family led-government began to face stronger dissidence and challenges from the fundamentalist fronts of the society in term of the country’s international relations and political reforms. But the country’s pro-American policy faced the strongest opposition of the fundamentalists during King Fahd’s relationship in the 1990s. Partly as a response to the demand for political reforms and partly due to the end of King Fahd’s monopoly at his decease, King Abdullah, a successor of King Fahd, reorganized the government by replacing the princes with qualified and professional experts. In the face of growing demand for socio-economic and political reforms during the social and economic crisis in the late 1980s, King Fahd was forced a series of reforms, including the formation of a Council of Saudi citizen (Majlis al Shura) in order to meet the crisis of the time. The primary goal of the Majlis al Shura, an advisory body, that consists of 61 members appointed by the King on a four-year term is to make “plans for economic and social development, questioning Cabinet members, examining annual plans submitted by each ministry, and proposing new laws or amendments” (Matthes et al 7). With the increasing activities of the committee, an ad-hoc committee of 8 members that later rose to 12 was founded by another royal decree in 1997. Indeed the Majlis al Shura functioned enormously to make the age-worthy socio-economic plans while mitigating the pressure of the government from the popular front. Events in the 2000s and their Influences on Saudi Politics The event that hugely influenced the Saudi politics was the terrorists attack on the Twin Towers in September 11, 2001. Because of the involvement of some Saudi citizens and the main Suspect Osama Bin Laden, who was an Arab by birth in the terrorist Attack, the Saudi education system became the target of criticism of the western media. The Saudi government responded quickly to address the issues of western criticisms. Saudi Arabia’s education earned the maximum concerns of the authority. Also the Saudi Government took effective steps to root out the Islamic Militants under the increasing pressure of the United States. Though King Fahd’s Government was primarily reluctant to perform according to the US directions, a series of suicide bombings in the country “convinces the government that action should be taken on two fronts, with a crackdown on Islamist militants and the first tentative introduction of reforms.” (Butt 4) The signs of reforms were clearly during last years of king Fahd’s reign. In 2003, Saudi Arabia made a bold initiative by preparing the ‘Charter to Reform the Arab Position’ in order to inspire the political reforms the country as well as in the Arab world. In an article, it is reported that the Charter urges “Arab states to recognize the need for internal reform and greater participation by citizens in the political process as important steps toward the development of Arab human resources and the democratization of the Arab world” (Al-Faisal 27). According to his promise, taken in a public meeting in 2003, to “proceed with the dialogue and introduce changes in its political and social life” and to consider “sensitive issues like school curriculum reform, and strengthening the role of women in society”, King Abdullah, shortly after his coronation, began to introduce moderate reforms. Among the long terms reforms, education reform, economic reform, modernization of the law enforcement agencies, some political reforms are some of the most mentionable ones. In spite of King Abdullah’s attempts to materialize political and education reforms he has been slowed by the powerful conservative sects of the country. Despite, this religious resistance, he has brought some unprecedented change in the country’s political environment appointing professionals and experts in the places of unqualified princes, appointing the first woman minister, Nora bint Abdullah al-Fayez, in the history of the country, replacing the conservative chiefs with more liberal professional in all of the governmental sectors. One of the most appreciated reforms was the education reform in order to resist the rise of extremism in the country, as it is said, “The Ministry of Islamic Affairs is implementing a three-year program to educate imams and monitor mosques and religious education to purge extremism and intolerance” (Al-Faisal 26). Works Cited Al-Faisal, Turki. “Political and Economic Reforms in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”, Diplomat. 02 April, 2011. Available at Butt, Gerald. “Saudi Arabia: Political overview”, 7 June, 2004, available at Lacey, Robert. The Kingdom: Arabia & The House of Sa’ud, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982. Matthes et al. “Saudi Arabia’s Political System”, February 2007. available at Read More