A political drama rattled the Saudi Arabian public, the Arab community and the world, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
By
MUSTHAFA ABD RAHMAN
·4 minutes read
AFP PHOTO/FAYEZ NURELDINE
A photograph taken on Nov. 5, 2017 shows the closed Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh. A day earlier, Saudi Arabia arrested 11 princes, including a prominent billionaire and dozens of current and former ministers according to reports, in a sweeping crackdown as the kingdom\'s young crown prince Mohammed bin Salman consolidates power.
A political drama rattled the Saudi Arabian public, the Arab community and the world on Saturday (4/11) night in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. The night sky over Riyadh seemed to tremble when a political drama suddenly emerged.
Two of the most powerful and influential figures in Saudi Arabia, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal (tycoon/investor) and Prince Miteb bin Abdullah (commander of the elite National Guard), were among those arrested by the anticorruption agency led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
AFP PHOTO/FAYEZ NURELDINE
A picture taken on November 5, 2017 shows a man reading Al-Hayat newspaper at a cafe in the Saudi capital Riyadh. A day earlier Saudi Arabia arrested 11 princes, including a prominent billioniare, and dozens of current and former ministers, reports said, in a sweeping crackdown as the kingdom\'s young crown prince Mohammed bin Salman consoliates power.
The arrests were made not long after the agency was established through a decree issued by King Salman. Prince Alwaleed was arrested on money laundering charges, while Prince Miteb was dismissed by King Salman and arrested on allegations of corruption related to weapons transactions.
The arrests of Prince Alwaleed and Prince Miteb marks a new era in Saudi Arabia, which requires members of the royal family to abide by the law.
In this era, their behavior cannot be separated from the aspect of accountability in line with modern governance. The surprising move was carried out by two top Saudi Arabian leaders, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 32. The move broke away from the monarchy\'s political tradition, which has been intact since 1932 and put the royal family above accountability.
Right after being appointed Saudi Arabian Corruption Eradication Commission chairman by King Salman, Prince Mohammed quickly ordered the arrests of 11 princes, including Prince Alwaleed, as well as four ministers and dozens of former ministers.
At the same time, King Salman reshuffled the Cabinet and high-ranking officials by dismissing the powerful figures. Besides Prince Miteb, who was replaced by Prince Khaled bin Ayyaf, another important figure was also replaced, namely Economic Minister Adel Fakieh, who was replaced by Mohammed al-Tuwaijri. Prince Ayyaf and al-Tuwaijri are known to be close friends of Prince Mohammed.
All the big decisions were perceived as part of Saudi Arabia’s 2030 Economic Vision framework announced in April 2016. The 2030 vision has affected many figures, even figures within the House of Saud.
AFP PHOTO/SAUDI ROYAL PALACE/BANDAR AL-JALOUD
This handout file photo provided by the Saudi Royal Palace and taken on June 06, 2017 shows Saudi\'s King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud during a meeting with the Emir of Kuwait in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. On November 4, 2017 Saudi Arabia arrested 11 princes, including a prominent billionaire, and dozens of current and former ministers, reports said, in a sweeping crackdown as the kingdom\'s young crown prince consolidates power.
Intrigue in the family
Political fact shows the 2030 Vision megaproject has created tension, intrigue and friction within the House of Saud. The dismissal of National Guard commander Prince Miteb bin Abdullah through a Cabinet reshuffle is no more than the continuation of the Al-Safa Palace incident in June, when King Salman dismissed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.
With the dismissal of Miteb and Mohammed bin Nayef, who was at that time a crown prince and home minister, now the military chain of command and security is under the control of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also the defense minister.
Prince Mohammed’s maneuvers did not stop at the security and military sector but also included the economic and finance sector. Using the corruption commission, Prince Mohammed surprisingly had his cousin, Prince Alwaleed, arrested.
Supposedly, Prince Mohammed and Prince Alwaleed recently differed on the 2030 Vision. Prince Alwaleed was said to have ambitions of controlling the 2030 Vision megaproject. He reportedly demanded a bigger slice of the pie in the megaproject.
Prince Mohammed outright rejected the demand of his cousin. Relations between the two princes then deteriorated. The story of the relations between Prince Mohammed and several other princes in the Al-Saud dynasty is like a repeat of Saudi Arabian history, namely the 1950s conflict between King Al-Saud bin Abdulaziz (1953-1964) and Crown Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz.
With the support of his relatives, including King Salman, Prince Faisal forced King Al-Saud to abdicate in 1964 and foiled King Al-Saud’s plan to hand his position to his son.
Now, Prince Mohammed has taken tough measures against his own brothers. Therefore, Prince Mohammed’s maneuver, although it is aimed at eradicating corruption, is essentially a political move.
