Government employees, anticipating a housing allowance, have expressed their frustration over the Shoura Council's refusal to rule on the issue this week. Council members refused to discuss Muhammad Al-Qo'waihess' proposal, which would grant employees three months' salary as housing allowance. Dr. Azeb Al-Misbil said the proposal “does not offer an effective solution to the housing crisis”. “The salaries will just go to real estate companies that will just claim there are not enough houses for citizens when there really are,” he said. He said that instead “the solution (to the housing crisis) lies in increasing the budget of the Real Estate Development Fund. Housing projects should be implemented by specialized companies that know what houses are suitable for Saudi society and offer houses at affordable prices. Citizens should not be given real estate loans, instead they should be given a house.” The Shoura Council postponed voting on the proposal citing time constraints but the issue may be reviewed in the next session, according to a report in Al-Yawm Arabic newspaper. Earlier, the Retirees' Affairs Association (RAA) criticized the said proposal because it only talks about granting a housing allowance to current government employees, and not to retirees. The association said the proposal clashed with an earlier plan by the Ministry of Housing to build residential units throughout the Kingdom. The RAA criticized the Shoura Council for not giving retirees housing allowances and said that “the retirees deserve housing allowances because they spent their whole life working in government and military jobs”. Air Chief Marshal (Retd.) Abdul Aziz Muhammad Al-Hunaidi, RAA Chairman, said that he had discussed with the Minister of Housing the issue of allocating 10 percent of houses to retirees who have limited income. “The minister welcomed the proposal provided that there be conditions for age and standards of living and that the retiree does not have a house,” Al-Hunaidi said. Criticizing the proposal, Al-Hunaidi said, “This study is against the Ministry of Housing's policies and has one problem: it does not include the issue of retirees' housing allowance. The retiree served this country, it's time to return the favor to him and stand by him during this time. Most retirees are elderly people with diabetes and arthritis.” On the RAA's request to set the retiree's housing allowance at SR3,000, Al-Hunaidi said, “The allowance was decreased to SR3,000 to be in line with the recent Royal Decree.” The RAA has requested that retirees be exempt from the Passports Department, the Traffic Department and mayoralties' fees, and be given a fixed housing allowance and two free travel tickets every year. Shoura Council members, meanwhile, led by Vice Chairman of the Council Dr. Bandar Al-Hajar, have planned to meet 1,500 businesswomen and women activists at Dar Al-Hekma College in Jeddah. Members will discuss the Council's mechanism and powers. The proposed meeting comes following the Royal Decree to allow women to participate in the next Shoura Council.
