I was invited last Saturday afternoon to Mohammad Al-Salem Dewania in Jeddah to talk about Saudi Vision 2030 and the role and responsibility of society and the business community. Here's a summary of the discussion that followed my presentation: ** Saudi planners had promised similar goals to Saudi Vision 2030, such as productive economy, with lesser dependence on oil and foreign talents, since the first 5-year Development Plan, in 1970. Here we are, 50 years later, still promising and planning for the same goals. What makes the Vision any different? — Well, for start, it is still a vision, not a plan. The detailed plan is expected to be announced in coming weeks. Then there are logistics. Government agencies need to be reoriented towards the goals. Restructuring is definitely in the cards. Every move and action from now on would follow a familiar pattern. The Vision calls for systemically, measured and transparent smaller, slimmer, streamlined government. New or reorganized departments shall be focused on facilitating and supporting the plan. Appointments for staff, from higher to lower positions, must be based on conviction and ability to execute the action plan. Resources would be assigned accordingly. Priorities, tasks, and projects should follow suit. This has never been done so extensively, scientifically and precisely before. Previous Development Plans did achieve lots of success. Without the infrastructure and superstructure we have today, we wouldn't have been able to execute the transformation plan. Fifty years ago, we didn't have the industrial base we have today. Thousands of factories, two major industrial cities, seven economic cities, plus top oil and petrochemical production facilities testify to the Plans' success. Thirty airports, half a dozen ports, thousands of kilometers of rail and road networks would be most needed in making the country a hub for world transportation and shipping. The 30 universities and thousands of schools and training facilities, plus hundreds of thousands of scholarships in the world best education centers have produced millions of educated and trained workforce. The ten Development Plans may not have achieved all their goals, but they certainly transformed the country into the globe's 20 biggest economies (G20). They prepared us for the next transformation and trip to the oil-free economy. ** Are you saying we should be optimistic because we are readier today? — Certainly, but there are other reasons, too. In the past, our plans were incremental, five years at a time, without a grand vision that connected all the dots. They were designed by one ministry, and then left to other ministries to execute, each at its own pace and design. Accomplishment, success and continuity were heavily dependent on government revenues. Grand projects, like the Economic Cities, were mostly initiatives related to the current Development Plan, but not part of it. Independent minds, officials and business people came with great ideas, but they were not part of a general scheme. Often times they succeed, adding more strength to the economic structure. However, at times they fail, because they were not orchestrated with other initiatives and projects. Take our grand Agriculture Project in the eighties, for example. It was great as an idea — food security. It also showed the world we could turn desert into gardens. But we forgot that high monetary and water cost would make it cheaper to buy certain products, like wheat, from world markets. Within years, we wasted most of our water resources that took thousands of years to accumulate. What differs with the new Vision and Transformation Plan is that we are working on the big picture, now. We started by drawing a Road Map for the next 15 years, based on our recognized core strengths. We clearly listed our priorities, missions and goals. Then would come the specific tasks with a price tag on each that puts human resources up front and center. We must, methodically, calculate and anticipate the social cost. Reeducating, rehabilitating, re-orienting our workforce and society towards the goals envisioned is our No.1 priority. This is the best opportunity presented to us ever. It has all the ingredients of well-designed action plan. The ball is in our court. With privatization, businessmen — small, middle and large —will have the chance to run the economy. With training, our young will have a good opportunity to operate the system. With investment-, knowledge- and service-oriented economy, every talent shall have a share. Now is the day when we say "Ask not what my country would do for me, but what I'd do for my country." Now is the time when we reorient our kids, families, staff and selves towards the new vision and future. The success of everything the Vision promised is ultimately in our hands! Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him at Twitter:@kbatarfi
