Wasif Kabli, deputy chairman of the Commercial Committee at the Saudi Council of Chambers of Commerce and member of its Food Committee, has alleged that some members of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry bought votes to be on its board.
“Some members did not get onto the board fair and square,” Kabli claimed.
He demanded that the Saudi Council of Chambers expel board members who have been absent at meetings for more than three times without an excuse. The same should apply, he added, to committee members who are not present at the committee’s meetings.
“There are several members at JCCI who are there just for the sake of prestige. Those should back out during the next session to give others the chance to work actively,” said Kabli who contested a seat on the JCCI board unsuccessfully during the last election.
Commenting on the need for including youth in the lists of candidates, he said: “No doubt that the expertise is a requirement in young entrepreneurs, but senior management and the decision-making process should be entrusted to senior businessmen.” He pointed out that the withdrawal of Saleh Kamel as a chairman of JCCI is a loss for the business community and the chamber. “He is a man of wide expertise and high ethics who can run the chamber effectively,” he added.
“The chairman of the chamber must be a qualified person with enough expertise and efficiency. But still, young businessmen should have the opportunity of no less than 50 percent to have a seat in the board,” he pointed out.
Shadi Zahed, a candidate contesting the membership of the board of JCCI, expressed his surprise at the attempts of some merchants who depicted the competition between candidates as a clash between the older members and young entrepreneurs. “This alienation process does not bode well,” said Zahed, adding that it is in the best interest of the chamber that board members be a mixture of people with different kinds and levels of expertise.
Member alleges vote-buying at JCCI
