His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense (may God protect him), spoke in a historic television interview with journalist Abdullah Al-Mudayfer last Tuesday evening with utmost transparency, backed by hard data, about the achievements of the Kingdom’s Vision over the past five years and the outlook for the coming phase, following the completion of enabling infrastructure, institutional and legislative frameworks have been established, public policies formulated, initiatives empowered, the overall performance of the Saudi administrative system improved, and the wheels of achievement, growth, and development set in motion across all sectors.

In that exceptional interview, His Highness addressed, with keen insight and a sharp intellect, all economic issues of concern to Saudi citizens, as well as the broader political issues affecting the region and the world, using clear and sincere language, grounded in figures and statistics and underpinned by a methodological approach of high-level thinking and insightful vision that, by the grace of God Almighty and with the support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, may God preserve him, has achieved historic accomplishments in a short period of time.

In his gracious remarks during the interview, His Highness cited two notable examples that are the focus of attention for Saudi society and economic elites: housing and the performance of the Public Investment Fund. Here, unprecedented leaps in administrative and economic performance have emerged under Saudi leadership. In the housing sector, the percentage of citizens owning homes rose to 60% compared to 47% five years ago. Additionally, access to housing support became immediate, whereas it used to take up to 15 years before the launch of the Vision. and the assets of the Public Investment Fund have doubled to reach approximately 1.5 trillion riyals in 2020, up from no more than 570 billion riyals in 2015.

The sophisticated administrative thinking and rich specialized language used by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, regarding the imperative of harmony and integration among the various components of the government system to achieve objectives and the necessity of government cohesion to move forward toward major national goals, through unified policies at the center of the state—which were absent in previous periods—reveal a deep understanding of the scale of the challenges prevailing in Saudi administrative life at the time and the requirements for administrative and developmental success in a country the size of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The leadership of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in administrative reform and institutionalization programs has resulted in the establishment of an institutional framework for a giant developmental state, through the implementation of centralized state policies that achieve the overall objectives and goals of the modern Saudi national project, There is no doubt that these major national projects require executive leadership that believes in the grand objectives, is dedicated to service, and possesses the passion that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has emphasized as the primary driver of service and responsibility, while at the same time affirming the principle of responsibility and accountability through permanent mechanisms for evaluating leaders and entrusting those capable of advancing these projects and carrying the torch of development.

For all these reasons, it is of the utmost importance to reflect on the substance of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s remarks, which were filled with both good tidings and hard truths. May God preserve him; he expressed his dissatisfaction with the current unemployment figures; while at the same time expressing optimism regarding the tireless efforts to break the 11.1% unemployment barrier this year, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic repercussions locally, regionally, and globally, along with the remarkable and notable progress in the empowerment of Saudi women in the workforce, reaching 33.2% in 2020 after standing at 19.4% in 2017, in addition to the development of laws that protect and promote their rights on both personal and professional levels.

This underscores the central role of Saudi citizens in the Kingdom’s modern vision and its ambitious development strategy, achieved by raising income levels across the Kingdom and ensuring sustainable development for all regions and provinces.

Throughout history, the modernization of nations has been driven primarily by time and perseverance as key drivers of successful change and positive development projects. Therefore, over the past five years, under the leadership of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, more than 197 pieces of legislation have been issued across various fields, including laws, regulations, and organizational arrangements, enabling all stakeholders in both the public and private sectors to move forward toward promising development.

The pillars of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s economic discourse affirm the priority of the private sector in Saudi Arabia’s strategy, as he—may God protect him—revealed the unprecedented scale of spending that will constitute a major leap forward across various sectors. Whereas the fund previously spent only 3 billion riyals from its investments within the Kingdom, in 2020, the Public Investment Fund spent 90 billion riyals on new investments within Saudi Arabia, and in 2021, the Public Investment Fund will spend 160 billion, with the aim of strengthening the Saudi economy, improving the quality of life, and working toward the well-being of Saudi citizens.

The most prominent message emerging from this major media interview is that the Kingdom is proceeding with precise plans and calculated steps carried out by qualified professionals, despite the existence of decisions that the state may be compelled to make at times, but these are continuously evaluated and reviewed in light of changes in the economic situation.

On the political front, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince redefined the Kingdom’s foreign policy priorities and articulated them clearly and unequivocally, succinctly answering the question of what constitutes the fundamental pillar of Saudi foreign policy. He summarized it in a single sentence: (the interests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), which constitutes a fixed guideline for the new Saudi diplomacy. He emphasized the firmness of the Saudi position in refusing to accept interference in the Kingdom’s internal affairs, and his call, may God protect him, for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, while at the same time stressing the need to confront extremism and radicalism

and to adhere to the path of moderation and moderate Islam.

His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, may God protect him, has presented a unique model of a leader striving for success and the advancement of the projects of his people and his nation, His greatest asset in the journey of nation-building is the guidance of the Almighty and the unity of the Saudi people behind the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, may God protect them.

• Governor of the General Authority for State Real Estate

* Quoted from Al-Riyadh newspaper