Date with future today

Saudis are anticipating with hope the release today of a government plan to liberate the Kingdom from its reliance on oil, which could solve deep-rooted problems.

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is to announce Monday the “Saudi Vision 2030,” which is expected to set goals for the next 15 years and a broad policy agenda to reach them.
Economic details of the vision — a package of state budget reforms, regulatory changes and policy initiatives for the next five years known as the “National Transformation Plan” — are expected to be released four to six weeks later.
Saudis have been discussing in newspapers, on television, in social media and in private conversations about the contents of Monday’s announcement. Many, particularly young people, say they welcome change. They say it will bring jobs and new economic opportunities.
The government’s official Twitter account for the announcement, @SaudiVision2030, has gained 244,000 followers since it was launched last Wednesday.
Prominent economist Abdul Hamid Al-Amri said on Twitter that he had been hoping for such a comprehensive vision for over 10 years.
“The absence of such a vision led to the waste of trillions of riyals, the spread of monopolies, corruption, unemployment, poverty and the delay of development projects,” he wrote.
Many of the broad outlines of Vision 2030 are already known — they include an efficiency campaign within the government, a bigger role for the non-oil private sector and more aggressive management of the Kingdom’s foreign assets to increase returns.
“The first quick win will be the efficiency and cooperation,” said Prince Mansour Al-Saud, senior planning manager at Saudi Industrial Development Fund, who participated in workshops to discuss the reforms. “Everybody will sense improvement in every single aspect of government work, in education and health care services.”
According to Saudi economist Fadl Al-Boainain, the role of bureaucracy will be under focus. “There will be a need for a restructuring process inside each ministry to meet program requirements. Workshops over a few months will not wipe off five decades of bureaucracy.”