Fahd bin Jolaid

Al-Jazirah

As Saudis, our eyes are set on malls in Al-Qassim that have been closed since the beginning of the Hijra year because the authorities want to Saudize them. The authorities’ success in Saudizing these malls will give us a lot of hope and encourage the authorities to Saudize others malls in the Kingdom. This initiative is supported by Emir of Al-Qassim Prince Dr. Faisal Bin Mishal Bin Saud Bin Abdulaziz, who visited young Saudi men and women working in malls last week.

Prince Faisal presented a roadmap for making the Saudization plan successful. He encouraged the youth to show a high level of seriousness about work in order to dispel the misconceptions some have about Saudis and the negative stereotypes about them. There are eight government agencies, including the ministries of Labor and Social Development and Commerce and Investment, which are supervising the Qassim Saudization plan and are supported by the office of the Emir of Al-Qassim and Al-Qassim Municipality. Saudi youth are also provided with financial aid to start small businesses. There are many challenges and difficulties facing young Saudi men and women.

Choosing Al-Qassim to implement this Saudization initiative is the right decision. I am sure that Saudi youth will overcome all challenges and prove they can replace expatriate workers at malls. Businessmen and shop owners are expected to support Saudi youth while shoppers should encourage Saudi salesmen and saleswomen and be patient with them while they get used to providing services as fast as expatriate workers.

Prince Faisal described expatriate workers as our brothers and sisters and said all Saudis love expatriates. However, Saudis should be given priority over expatriate workers. We respect all expatriate workers and treat them like brothers and sisters, as they are our partners in the Kingdom’s development. However, we also believe that Saudis should have priority.