All Round View(Charsadda): The country globally known for its conservatism is now transferring to modernism, a change which is governed by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman. MBS has adopted a different way of governance, to improve his country image to the international community, and to bring transformation in its socio-economic and cultural contours, He has a nationalist and populist ideology, which is transferring the country towards the liberalism, at one occasion he claimed, “We are returning to what we were before- a country of moderate Islam that is open to all religions and the world. Seventy percent of the Saudi population is under 30, and honestly, we will not spend the next 30-years of our lives dealing with destructive ideas, we will destroy them today and at once.”
Socio-Economic change can be witnessed by “Vision 2030”, In October 2017, MBS announced the plane for creation of NEOM, which is the first biggest investment of worth $500 billion on any city in the world. The project will attract the big investors of the world to sectors of biotechnology, robotics, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing. The industrialization will modernize the country and will transform the economy, their dependency will also shift from oil revenues to non-oil. In 2019, the Saudi cabinet approved a new residency scheme “Premium residency” for foreigners, to allow them to invest here and earn properties to own them, with ease.
The country did not let women come out of their domestic confines in the past, but now the social transformation has to be witnessed along with the cultural transformation. For the first time in history, the women are allowed to drive and to spectate a sport live in the stadiums. December 2017, witnessed the first concert of a female singer in the kingdom and has allowed the public cinemas after 30 years of the ban, which is counted as start of a cultural transformation. Women are free now to join military and intelligence services, these steps are remarkable.
The transformation will lead the country towards the modernism, which itself will open many doors of opportunities. But the kingdom has to sacrifice few of their great causes, such as the Palestine cause, as the NEOM city is built near to Israel, Egypt and Jordan, and the kingdom will soon open their door to Israel for a handshake on their large investment in the kingdom. And the world is going to witness the middle east becoming “New Europe.”
M. Shahbaz Khan
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