‘Businesswomen have no election culture…'DAMMAM – After failing to gain a single seat on the board of the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EPCCI) elections the only remaining hope for the three women candidates who ran is to be chosen as one of the Minister of Trade and Industry's six automatic appointees. The highest number of votes of Su'aad Al-Zayedi, Fawzia Kirri and Dina Al-Faris went to the latter with 77, compared to winning candidates who all obtained between 337 and 833. The former two gained 17 and nine respectively. Magnanimous in defeat, Al-Zayedi - who was running for the second time – described this year's elections as “better than the previous”, giving her “more encouragement to fight to give women a voice in the lections”. “I'd like to thank everyone who voted for me. It showed the business community's will for women to occupy a seat on the board of directors,” Al-Zayedi said. “I think next year's elections will be even better, and I hope that women have better luck.” Al-Zayedi urged trade minister Abdullah Zainal to select a female candidate for one of the six seats left open for ministerial appointment. Fawzia Kirri, however, lamented the lack of support from businesswomen. “It seems that they don't possess sufficient awareness of election culture, and aren't aware of the seriousness of the issue,” Kirri said. “They should have stood by the women runners, but instead they voted for men.” According to Kirri, numbers of women were unable to cast their votes as their commercial registers had not been renewed. “Because of that the ministry did not put them on the list of eligible voters for this year, so it could be foreseen that women candidates would not win,” she said. Dina Al-Faris congratulated winners and said the experience would give future women candidates the strength to make a greater impression in years to come, also hoping that Minister Zainal would now select the “most deserving woman candidate” for a place on the board. Al-Faris further signaled her intention to run again. “I got the largest number of votes out of the women candidates, and I think that will stand me in good stead for the next elections,” Al-Faris said. And the winners are… The winners of the 12 elected seats on the Board of Directors up for election were as follows: From the Traders: Ibrahim Al-Jumaih, 610 votes; Saleh Al-Sayyid, 509; Faisal Al-Quraishi, 414; Khaled Al-Dossari, 376; Abdullah Al-Majdoui, 246, and Abdul Hadi Al-Zoubi, with 337 votes. Of Industrialists: Abdullah Al-Ammar, with 833 votes; Fahd Al-Sharee' with 829; Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed, 653; Ghassan Al-Nimr, 516; Hassan Al-Zahrani, 436, and Khaled Al-Qahtani with 424 votes. Small is big Following the results announcement, winning candidates were united in their vision for work to focus on small and medium-seized businesses in the region. Top Trader vote-winner Ibrahim Al-Jumaih said future plans would lay emphasis on those businesses to launch financing programs in collaboration with the government and the private sector. “The Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce will also provide legal, financial, and marketing consultancy for small and medium businesses as we seek to boost economic development in the province,” Al-Jumaih said. Top Industrialist and overall vote-winner Abdullah Al-Ammar said the new Board would make businesspeople in the Eastern Province “essential partners through a solid economic development partnership”. “The board will also be seeking strict regulations to eliminate the problem of runaway workers and laborers, as this poses a considerable threat to both security and business,” Al-Ammar said. Industrialist Khaled Al-Qahtani echoed his fellow directors' words. “We want to bring success by creating a small-business environment of healthy competition,” Al-Qahtani said. “The board will try to put in place a sense social business responsibility and preserve the leading role the Eastern Province has achieved in some industries. We'll also be helping to attract investment for mega-economic projects and more job opportunities.” According to Al-Qahtani, the Board will work for “balanced development across the province”. Walk the walk “It will need more than just speeches and votes to push the province's economy forward. It will require greater work,” warned Fahd Al-Sharee', while Abdul Hadi Al-Zoubi urged the new Board to employ an “open-door” policy. “We need to accept everyone's opinions and work on the constructive ones,” Al-Zoubi said. “We need to break through the bureaucracy which holds creative ideas back and impedes business. The new Board should work as a team in the interests of those who voted.”
