Prince Muhammad Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Ayyaf, Mayor of Riyadh, has expressed his pleasure at the way this year's Eid celebrations have proceeded and shown his desire to expand events in the future. All but two of the 200 events held this year in the Kingdom's capital were free of charge, and took place at 45 locations around the city. “We have had a markedly positive response and a high turnout from residents and visitors alike,” Al-Ayyaf said recently. “Our duty is to keep making improvements and spread the joy for everyone on this happy occasion.” He said the Mayoralty was keen to involve expatriates in events, and that in allocating visiting times for singles, families and women, the intention was not to force a given arrangement on the public but to cater to the needs of everyone. The Mayoralty has no plans for the composition and performance of plays for families, the mayor revealed, adding that the sudden suspension of one play, despite it having received the seal of approval from the Ministry of Culture, was because not all plays vetted and approved by the Ministry are performed. “The Mayoralty,” he said, “has its own permanent committee whose mandate is to read and approve scripts. It is also concerned with timing issues, but I would like to stress that the play failed to go ahead because of inadequate resources during the Eid.” On the resignation of one member of the Municipal Council over alleged religious violations during the celebrations, the mayor remarked: “As a member of the Municipal Council, he is entitled to resign for valid reasons. I personally believe that the timing of his resignation was inappropriate because it came towards the end of the first Council session, a time when all members are accountable for their performances, so I believe that his resignation at this particular time was a shirking of responsibility.” Feedback on Eid events has been received by the Mayoralty through its website, and a team has been set up to investigate complaints, including those from residents outside Riyadh whose comments have been relayed by SMS messages via friends and relatives. The Mayoralty is contemplating holding events on weekends and not only during holidays, said the Mayor, adding that resources are being sought for that purpose, which will include new theater performances and poetry readings. This year's Eid Al-Fitr events in Riyadh were organized for the second year in a row by the high committee formed at the behest of Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Riyadh Region, a body consisting of representatives from all security, religious and other relevant authorities. – Okaz __
